Sofia Edmonds has known high highs and low lows, and she’s still here to talk about them. Her story gives hope to all who long for it.
Toward the end of 2021, when COVID restrictions had eased enough to travel again, I was on my way to New York. Waiting in a long line at Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport, I chatted with the woman behind me.
In minutes, I discovered Godsigns galore:
- Sofia Edmonds was on her way to Sarasota, where she and her husband were building a home. Burton and I have spent winters there for 25+ years.
- Sofia was diagnosed with stage IV cancer at age 60. I was, too.
- Sofia had two sons, David and Andrew. David had gone to MSU; Andrew, UM. Ditto.
- And we both golfed at Charlevoix’s Belvedere GC.
Thanks to COVID, I made a terrific new friend. Talk about a silver lining. And now I am sharing her story with you.
From Bogota, Colombia, Sofia is the oldest of three sisters. She was an early computer systems engineer. (The similarities between us stop there. I’m just this side of hopeless with computers. My tech friend, Rodney, frequently saves me from tearing out what hair I have left.) In the late 80s, Sofia was teaching databases, systems design and the insides of PC computing.
At 27, Sofia had just broken off a five-year relationship. (I broke off a five-year relationship just before meeting Burton.) To cheer her up, her sister, Rocio, invited her to a business dinner in Bogota. Rocio worked for Exxon, had lived overseas and spoke English well.
Sofia, whose English was spotty, declined.
Rocio insisted.
At dinner, Sofia sat next to an exec with Michigan-based Upjohn pharmaceutical company. Though Ron’s Spanish was limited, he and Sofia talked all through dinner. Ron was working on a three-week project in Bogota. He and Sofia saw each other every day.
“My English was bad, but Ron’s Spanish was worse,” she says. When Ron returned to Michigan, the problem was exacerbated in that era before smartphones and instant Internet connections. Even worse—long-distance calls were expensive 37 years ago. Writing frequent letters in English proved easier.
Ron returned to Colombia several times, staying with Sofia at her parents’ home. In Colombia, Sofia says, girls in those days lived with their parents until marriage. Her parents hadn’t liked their daughter’s former beau but approved of Ron.
Despite Ron’s visits, Sofia says, “I didn’t think our relationship was going anywhere.”
But Ron, 29, had other ideas.
“I bought you a ticket,” he said.
Sofia flew to Michigan for the first time in December, 1987. She stayed with Ron and his parents in Battle Creek. The city was blanketed with snow—something Sofia had never seen. “It was magical,” she says. “Ron drove me to see Christmas lights and showed me the Christmas spirit in Michigan.”
A week after meeting Sofia, Ron had called his mother from Bogota. He’d said, “I met the woman I want to marry.”
While traveling in South Africa, Ron had bought a diamond for her. In Battle Creek, Ron got down on one knee, took out a piece of paper, and read what a friend had helped him compose. A proposal—in Spanish!
Ron then flew to Bogota and read the proposal to Sofia’s dad. Sofia and Ron were married on May 28, 1988, in Bogota.
After a honeymoon in South America, Sofia and Ron settled in Kalamazoo, MI. Living so far from home, she concedes, was “hard” on her and her family.
In Kalamazoo, Sofia pursued a masters in computer science at Western Michigan U. She became pregnant. Andrew was born in Kalamazoo in 1990. Ron was transferred to Cincinnati, where David was born. The family then spent five years in Brazil. There, Sofia studied gemology. She loved working with metals and precious stones. She built up a successful business as a jewelry designer and goldsmith.
In 1997, Ron was transferred to Midland, MI, as an exec with Dow Chemical. Looking for a house, Sofia sought white cabinets but only found them in natural oak. Her taste was more modern. Recognizing an opportunity for high end real estate, she became a broker. Before long, she’d captured the market.
In 2015, the Edmonds built a beautiful house in Charlevoix. When COVID hit, they moved there full time.
Then Sofia’s fairy tale life began to fade.
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Please, also enjoy the inspiring Part 2 of this 2-part story!
Sofia is truly an amazing person inside and out. You captured her journey beautifully. She is indeed a wonderful inspiration to all of us to live life to the fullest and to have faith in where your life takes you. Ron and her family have been exemplary as well! She has spoken so fondly of your friendship. Thank you for sharing her story with your readers.