Arrangements were handled by Preferred Cremation & Burial at North Park Apostolic Church on January 4, 2023.
Idelia May Inniss-Dawkins was born on October 22, 1932, in Colon Republic of Panama to the late Claude Fitznorman Inniss and the late Violette Clotilde Best-Inniss. She attended Bolivia elementary school and completed high school at Colegio Abel Bravo in Colon-Panama. She later attended “Tecnica de Contabilidad y Comercio” for accounting in Panama City-Panama. She migrated to the United States in 1971 to pursue a better life for herself and her children.
Idelia was hired for full-time employment on February 13, 1978, at Rohr Industries in Chula Vista, California, where she worked for 15 years. She began as an office clerk and transitioned to various positions including Dispatcher, Quality Assurance Inspector, and Engine-Line Assembler. After 15 years of service she was laid-off. Idelia got her insurance license and worked part-time with Primerica for a few years. She later began to work part-time for the County of San Diego at Southcrest Recreation Center. She worked for about 7 years as an office clerk.
Idelia loved her family. She loved to cook and entertain every Sunday with her delicious curry chicken or oxtail, coconut rice and peas, coleslaw, or any of her other great recipes. She played softball with her family team, enjoyed scrabble, crossword puzzles, word search, dominos, gardening, sewing, singing, dancing, playing the piano, and playing bingo. She was also a worshiper, a peacemaker, and believed in saving for rainy days.
Idelia survived breast cancer at the age 78. In 2010, she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior, was baptized in the name of Jesus, and filled with the Holy Ghost at Greater Apostolic Faith Temple Church.
On December 20, 2022, her Heavenly Father called, she answered and said “YES, YES, YES,” and took hold of His hands and walked into Glory.
Left to cherish her memory are her children: Victoria Wilmot-Lemon Grove, Angela Marie (Horacio) Jones, Nila Barrows, Ursula Lewis, Cheryl (Alfonso) Smith, Monica Tucker, Vicente (Brenda) Barrows, Nichelle Dawkins; her sisters Vilma Arroyo, Carole Miller; her brother Anselmo Inniss; 14 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, along with a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, church family, friends, and neighbors. We loved mom but God loved her best.
