Mariano Echevarría

Mariano Echevarría, a resident of Arlington, VA, beloved patriarch, died peacefully at home surrounded by family on February 24, 2024, at the age of 92 years. The youngest of 11 children, Mr. Echevarría was born in Havana, Cuba, on August 9, 1931, the son of Spanish immigrants Eulogia Castellano and Manuel Echevarría, the largest grapefruit exporter in Cuba. Mr. Echevarría was completing his doctorate in economics in 1959 when he was invited to join the newly-formed Castro government. He stayed briefly, but after becoming disillusioned, he left Cuba in March of 1959, never to return. He landed in New York and, at his father’s direction, helped forty-nine relatives leave Cuba and settle in the United States. While Cuban to the core throughout his life, he integrated into his new home with profound gratitude and loyalty. Over his five-decade career in Washington, DC, his business and entrepreneurial savvy led him to the highest levels of success as a widely respected and deeply trusted international ship broker, forming Pacific Cargoes Incorporated and International Services Corporation. He combined a keen mind for business with a genuine love of connecting with others. Mr. Echevarría is survived by Tara Fitzpatrick Echevarría, his beloved wife of 59 years and their four children: Sean Mariano (Mary, Ivan, and Isabel), Damon Xavier (Alice, Raquel, and DD), Tara Marielle (John, Agustin, Jasper, Desmond, and Maeve Reading), Megan Mercedes (Iñaki Pérez-Ibañez, and Iñaki and Salvador Pérez-Echevarría), and many nieces and nephews. Mariano engaged people with tremendous ease through his vibrant personality, sharp mind, mischievous sense of humor, genuinely joyful smile, and inviting laugh. Unwavering in his convictions and assertive viewpoints, he never shied away from vigorous debate. His struggles with limited vision never tainted his contagious positive outlook, and the blindness that materialized in his later years never muted the light emanating from his person through his radiant eyes. He demonstrated his devout Catholic faith through generous support for religious vocations, seminarian education, and frequent expressions of gratitude. A treasured husband, a doting parent and grandparent, a gifted dancer, and an enthusiastic world traveler, he often said with deep gratitude when reflecting on his good fortune and many blessings, “The good Lord has been very good to me.” A Mass of Christian Burial is planned for Saturday, March 2, at 12:00 noon at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Arlington, VA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make a donation to the Pontifical North American College in Rome or the Diocese of Arlington Seminarian Education Endowment Fund (SEEF). Alternatively, reconnect with an old friend to enjoy a nice lunch, as Papi so frequently did.