Maria P Lagomasino

May 30, 1923 – August 12, 2016

Maria Palicio Lagomasino passed away in her home in Coral Gables, Florida on August 12, 2016 at the age of 93. She is survived by her six children: Maria Elena, Hector and wife Gail, Fernando and wife Olga, Carlos and wife Kathy, Andres and wife Myriam, and Isabel and husband Mark Cunningham. She is also survived by eight grandchildren: Jennifer, Luke, Laura, Leslie, Kelly, Alessandra, Christopher, and Maria Elena; her three great-grandchildren: Elijah, Alana, and Madeline; and her wonderful friends and caretakers. She was predeceased by her beloved granddaughter Lucinda.

She was born Maria Elena Palicio in Havana, Cuba in 1923 to Fernando Palicio and Leonor Valle. She was the third of five siblings and attended El Colegio del Sagrado Corazon. She graduated high school from Kenwood Academy in Albany, New York. Maria married Hector Lagomasino in 1944 and together they owned and operated an air conditioning business, Corpaire. The family left Cuba in 1960, moving first to Hartford, Connecticut and then to Bilbao and Madrid in Spain, before settling in Miami, Florida in 1968.

In Miami, Maria worked for the Cuban Refugee Assistance Program, for the United Way, and for Brandon and Mijares Realty, before opening her own successful real estate firm and management business, Lagomasino Realty, in 1975. She loved her work and retired reluctantly at the age of 83. Maria was devoted to her children, her friends, and her church and community. In her later years, she was a daily worshiper, lecturer, and Eucharistic Minister at St. Raymond Catholic Church. She loved to laugh, sing, play guitar, discuss politics, read, travel, play cards and dominos, and celebrate with family and friends. In 2010, she published a book based on her life, Recuerdos de una Exiliada [Memories of an Exile]. She was a beacon of strength, courage, faith, positive spirit, generosity, and love to those who knew her.

Services will be held Tuesday, August 16, 2016 from 6 PM – 10 PM at Caballero Rivero Coral Gables Funeral Home, 1717 SW 37th Avenue, Miami, FL 33145. A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, August 17, 2016 at 1 PM at St. Augustine Catholic Church, 1400 Miller Road, Coral Gables 33146. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Raymond Catholic Church, 3475 SW 17th Street, Miami, Florida 33145, (305) 446-2427.