TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — One Facebook groupis talking about having an Umbrella Walk in her honor. You can look them up at “Umbrella Walk for Lydia Reis.”
The Umbrella Lady was a part of what makes Tucson unique. I only learned about her a few days ago, but many of you have seen her walking around for years. I spoke to a few people today, who called her by her real name: Lydia Reis.
“It was fun to watch her. That’s why she became so famous, I think,” said Wendy Allen.
“An infamous Tucson celebrity,” described Kealy Sotherland.
“It was pretty devastating to think that someone could be that negligent to not pay attention to such an icon,” said Sonny Sotherland.
Many knew Lydia Reis by the umbrellas she carried paired with her Victorian-style dresses. People shared sightings of her on Facebook groups dedicated to her.
She was always walking the streets of Tucson.
“Nobody really knew why she walked, and where she walked when she did. I didn’t find out until speaking with her brother that she lost her family in a car accident and would walk to the cemetery to visit them,” said Wendy Allen.
Back in 2011, Wendy Allen was Lydia's landlord at the Wishing Well Mobile Park in Catalina. She showed me the area where she lived, right off the street to make her walk easier.
Lydia moved out in 2011. Wendy saw her around from time to time, but her living situation was a mystery. She was sad when she heard she passed, but remembers seeing Lydia's passion for fashion in her trailer.
“There were clothes everywhere. She loved the clothes,” Wendy described.
I met Sonny and Kealy while visiting her memorial today. They helped me fill in the gaps of the person they’ve known for over 20 years.
“If she hadn’t spoken to you, or seen you present in your life many times, she would generally not acknowledge you,” said Sonny Sutherland.
Sonny first saw her when he moved here 22 years ago and knew he would love Tucson because of her. His wife Kealy saw her around her whole life and got to know her over time.
“She was very introverted. I always wanted to know more, but also always wanted to respect her boundaries around that,” Kealy said.
They both had seen her less than a week before she passed. Brandi McGrath only knew her from a distance, but she still set up this memorial.
“Hearing she got hit was very emotional for me and a friend of mine who has had conversations with her. And so we came to set up the sign, I’m glad to see that it’s grown,” said Brandi.
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Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
