Ana Ferrer Illsen

OBITUARY

Ana Ferrer Illsen

July 5, 1950 – July 23, 2026

Ana Ferrer Illsen—beloved mother, grandmother, wife, sister, storyteller, and author of Perfectly Imperfect and My Adventures—entered Heaven’s glory peacefully in her sleep on July 23, 2026, in the home she loved. She was 76.

Born in Havana, Cuba, to José Manuel Ferrer and Olga Leguina Almeida, Ana enjoyed a sunlit childhood of roller skating, American schooling, and the care of her nanny, Tata. In 1960 her family fled to Madrid, Spain. After her father’s sudden death in 1965, she developed a lifelong resilience. Madrid became her coming-of-age city. At San Patricio School she befriended Maria “Cocola” Drake with the line, “My name is Ana Ferrer, and I know the entire Mass in Latin.” With Cocola and dear friend Isa, she shared decades of adventures. At the American School of Madrid she honed her sharp, irreverent wit.

Music and dancing threaded through her life—from Madrid discotecas with her brother Jose to nights in Zermatt with her husband, Alex. She kept the radio on constantly, favoring sixties and seventies golden oldies while staying current with new hits. Professionally she worked as an executive assistant across international companies, later serving as Florida regional sales manager for a Chicago legal publisher. Unflappable and resourceful, she negotiated her own terms and could make anyone laugh describing how she did it.

Her 1970 marriage to William Maclean produced daughters Veroushka and Vanessa. In 1981 she married Alex Illsen in Waukegan, Illinois, with her young daughters as witnesses. Their daughter Veronica was born in 1986, completing Ana’s “three Vs.” The marriage lasted 43 years until Alex’s death in 2024. Ten years into it, Ana joined Al-Anon, which transformed her life—teaching her to set boundaries, release control, and love freely. She cared for Alex devotedly in his final years, seeing patience as forgiveness in action.

At the heart of her growth was deep faith. She believed her relationships with God and herself were the ones that would last a lifetime, replacing her critical inner voice with the reminder that she was a precious, fallible child of God. For decades she sponsored women in recovery and answered Al-Anon hotline calls. In later years she found joy at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church services and musical events.

Above all, Ana adored her family. She raised her daughters through moves and uncertainty and delighted in her grandchildren—Isabella, Valentina, and Sebastian—through pool swims, Dunkin’ Donuts runs, and storytelling. In her final years she compiled her memories into her memoir Perfectly Imperfect.

Ana was preceded in death by her husband, Alex. She is survived by her daughters Veroushka MacLean Volkert (Charles), Vanessa Maria Genet (David), and Veronica Illsen Winninger (Andrew); grandchildren Isabella Nancy Volkert, Ana Valentina Volkert, and Sebastian Hunter Genet; brother Jose Emilio Ferrer; nephew Maximillian Jose Emilio Ferrer (Kaitlyn Cole); nieces Tatiana Giordano (Mickey) and Alexandra Michelle Ferrer; sister-in-law Susana MacLean and her children Natacha Falzoni and Douglas Goullet; and dear friends Maria “Cocola” Drake and Isabel Murga.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Al-Anon Family Groups (www.al-anon.org).

Services:

Saturday, August 1, 2026

Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church

5555 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308

• Visitation: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

• Celebration of Life Service: 3:30 PM