Sonia Cawood

Sonia Barreiro Cawood, 86, died peacefully on December 30, 2025. A longtime Yellow Springs, Ohio resident, she was born on February 17, 1939 in Aguascalientes, Mexico and came to the United States to attend school at Midway (Kentucky) at the age of 13. She didn’t know English, but because of her brilliant mind, within a month she could understand everything. A student who relished learning, she flourished at Midway, and these became some of the golden years of her life. She skipped grades and graduated at the top of her class, continuing her education at the University of Kentucky for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Sonia became a Spanish college professor, pushing her students to learn the language well and to try hard. She loved teaching. At the same time, her own love of learning and language never ceased: she studied Italian, Russian, French, and Latin. Sonia also loved gardening, traveling, decorating her home to make it warm and inviting, hostessing gatherings, and, most of all, spending time with her husband and daughters—anywhere and everywhere. She was curious about people, and one of her specialties was making beautiful conversation.

She was the center of her family, creating a steady and loving foundation for her husband and daughters. When her sons-in-law married her daughters, Sonia welcomed them and folded them into the family, and they were devoted to her. She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Albert McLaurin Cawood; her daughter Romy Lanier Cawood and son-in-law Ranjit Kumar Rawlley; and her daughter Shuly Xóchitl Cawood and son-in-law Thomas Preston McKee II.

She is also survived by her sisters: Miriam Barreiro Cawood, Aide Barreiro de Orellana, and Armida Barreiro de Godoy, as well as other family members, including many loving nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents: Reynaldo Barreiro Gomez and Esther Sanchez de Barreiro; and her siblings: Estela Barreiro de Gonzalez; Juan Barreiro, and Reynaldo Barreiro.

A memorial service will be held at a later date in Yellow Springs, Ohio. If you’d like to be notified of the date and time, please click here to fill out the notification form.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor may be made to The Ivey, 6030 Park South Drive, Charlotte NC 28210 or click here to donate to the Ivey.