With grateful hearts for a long life well lived, we share that Florence Lorraine Cuba (Julius) passed away peacefully on the morning of May 13, 2026 at Mercy South deGreeff hospice house.
She was born to Frank and Ethel (Fischer) Julius on August 30, 1926 in St. Louis, the city where she spent her entire life. Known all of her life as “Fluffy,” she was a product of the Great Depression, appreciating all that life afforded her, great and small.
She was an avid bowler, a hobby she enjoyed well into her eighties. Later in life she became a member of the Red Hat Society. She loved dressing up and wearing those hats! She was a member of the “Oh Hell” Card Club which was started in 1943 by a group of women looking for friendship while their beaus were off at war. She cherished time spent with her dear friends, many of whom she had known since her early childhood.
During World War II she became pen pals with a wonderful lady named Sherry Nichols. They corresponded for decades but had never met. Their first actual meeting was arranged by the Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee show, live on national television. It was one of the most treasured moments of her life.
As a mother of five, she somehow managed to keep a well-organized, beautiful home, of which she was very proud. She cooked delicious nightly meals and baked wonderful desserts using recipes passed down through generations. She also worked outside the home for several decades at both the neighborhood Tom Boy grocery store and then Schnucks Markets, loving her interactions with coworkers and customers, many of whom became dear friends.
She was preceded in death by her ex-husband Norbert (Nobbie) Cuba and her beloved son Paul Cuba. Loving, compassionate mother of James Cuba (Donna), Jerrold Cuba (Dixie), Paul Cuba (Gail), Michelle Cuba Voss (Craig) and Julie Cuba Jenkins (Tim); grandmother of Ryan Cuba (Cindy), Michael Cuba (Mindy), Christopher Cuba (Maggie), Lauren Cuba Burns (Scott), Jeff Graham, Adam Voss (Suzie), Alex Voss, Natalie Jenkins Anderson (Max), Evan Jenkins, Tate Jenkins; and great-grandmother of Ellen Cuba, Jack Cuba, Drew Cuba, Wynn Cuba, Westyn Cuba, Elise Cuba, Coen Cuba, Norah Cuba, Livia Burns, Paul Burns, Vera Voss, Violet Voss, soon to be Baby Voss, and Lila Anderson.
SERVICES: A celebration of life will be held on “Fluffy’s” 100th birthday, August 30, 2026 at Sunset Hills Community Center, 3915 S. Lindbergh Blvd. from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Donations may be made in her honor to the Open Door Animal Sanctuary, 6065 Duda Rd., House Springs, MO 63051, odas.org or Mercy South deGreeff Hospice House, 10024 Kennerly Rd., St. Louis, MO 63128, give.mercyhealthfoundation.net.