Isanild Wakefield
Nov. 14, 1933-March 23, 2026
Menlo Park, California

Isanild (Lucena) Wakefield passed away on March 23, 2026, in Los Altos, California, at the age of 92. Born Isanild Barreto de Lucena on November 14, 1933, in Monte Alegre, Brazil, to Donatilla Barreto de Lucena and Ornilo Lucena, she was one of thirteen children. In her twenties, she moved to Rio de Janeiro, where she met and married American engineer Kenneth Wakefield. They relocated to California and raised two children, Donald Lucena Wakefield and Mary (Wakefield) O’Neal. She spent the rest of her life in California, eventually residing in Menlo Park, though she stayed close to her extended family in Brazil. Isa was a devout Catholic and a lover of golf and other sports. Her family adored her cooking, especially her feijoada. She was preceded in death by her parents and ten of her twelve siblings. She is survived by her two children, seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.