A memorial in honor of the late Juanita Reed is the newest addition to the International Garden situated at the west end of the Ajijic Malecon.
A traditional fisherman’s boat converted into a handsome planter, installed under the sponsorship of the Lakeside Garden Guild, was dedicated at a ceremony held on Friday, March 28.
The daughter of a Japanese diplomat, Juanita was born in Cuba in 1928. She and her husband James Herbert Reed met and married in Japan in the aftermath of World War II. The couple settled in Ajijic in 1978. Over the next two decades she earned distinction as a tireless community leader through active involvement in numerous altruistic causes.
Fondly nicknamed by her Mexican neighbors as La Japonesa, she most endeared herself to the native populace through her dedication to Hagámoslo Juntos (Let’s Do It Together), the long-standing anti-litter campaign she launched to instill a spirit of citizen responsibility and community pride among village children.
Widowed in 2002, Juanita continued living in Ajijic for several more years until relocating to the U.S. to be closer to family as she suffered failing health. She died in Bellevue, Washington on October 6, 2007.
The new garden monument will surely help keep her legacy in the hearts and minds of Ajijic’s people for years to come.
