All of us who knew Margaret Perez well, today are mourning her death, after a brave and silent fight against a disease that steals many good hearts from this world.
Writing these lines brings memories and moments shared with an exceptional colleague who we all admired at IHCC Board of Directors where she served for some years. Why you, Margaret? Why now?
Those of us who knew her witnessed her love for her family, for her work, for her employees, for her friends, for defending her ideas and for helping the entrepreneurs who needed her advice.
I remember a song by Alberto Cortez, which says that when a friend leaves, something dies inside of you.
Margaret is a native resident of Chicago who grew up in Little Village neighborhood. She studied at the University of Illinois, Chicago where she pursued a business degree in Marketing and a license to be a Realtor and Loan Originator.
She has been a participant in the Second Cohort of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, the IHCC Coaching for Growth, HACIA Contractor Training Program and the Turner School of Construction Management.
She began her career in the fitness industry over 30 years ago and worked for two nationally recognized health club chains, Bally Total Fitness and the World Gyms. In addition, she worked in Sales Management and Business Development for two of the largest fitness equipment manufacturers, Life Fitness and Technogym.
Margaret founded Ideal Fitness Solutions in 2010 and recently had celebrated her company’s tenth year in business.
Ideal Fitness Solutions was formed by her to be a one-source fitness solutions provider for both fitness products and services to help commercial and residential clients create, update and maintain their fitness facilities.
We are all here today to express our respect, love, and gratitude.
Great friend and colleague, please guide us from heaven, where because of your past as a dedicated woman helping others, you have surely gained a privileged place in paradise.
Keep that place in heaven for us when in the future we may meet again with your joy, your love and your spirit of solidarity.
Take special care of your husband, your children, and your granddaughters so that they can follow the hard path that life has set before them. To all your friends send us faith to continue on this journey.
Guide us, Margaret, by your example, so we can always follow your footsteps to do what you did best: inspire others.
The IHCC family prays together to the Lord to keep you by his side.
Farewell, dear Margaret.
Mayra Khan, a member of the IHCC Board of Directors and Margaret’s Perez friend for the past 10 years, wrote this farewell letter and obituary.
