Dr. Ada López Méndez died peacefully on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at Ava's Hospice House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Ada was 70 years old.

Ada was born on September 25, 1955, in Cuba to Manuel López and Migdalia Méndez. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Math from the University of Puerto Rico and subsequently went to the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, graduating in 1981. She completed residency in internal medicine at the University of Puerto Rico and a fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Alabama.

On May 24, 1986, Ada married Dr. Juan Joy in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. The couple settled in Winter Haven, Florida, where Ada served as Director of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit at the Winter Haven Hospital Center and as a rheumatologist at the Gessler Clinic.

Dr. López Méndez was a leader in the local medical community, having previously served as President of the Polk County Medical Society. She was also a bedrock in the local Winter Haven Catholic community at St. Joseph Catholic Church, where she adored singing with the choir.

Ada was an enthusiastic traveler who explored the world, sharing her love of travel with her husband, sons, and nieces. She was also a passionate reader.

Grateful for having shared her life are her husband, Juan Joy; her sons, David "Piri" (Kimberly) Joy and Chuli Joy; and her brother, Pablo (Vivian) López. Ada is also survived by three nieces and 11 grandchildren, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 AM on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at St. Michael Catholic Church, located at 1600 South Marion Road, Sioux Falls, SD 57106, followed by an inurnment at the St. Michael Catholic Cemetery in Sioux Falls.