Simon E Amich

Simón Enrique Amich, 75, of Miami Beach, Florida, passed away surrounded by family on December 11, 2022. He was born on August 19, 1947 to María Munuera and Simón Amich in Güines, Cuba. His paternal grandfather, Simón Amich Vila, a well-known and respected architect, constructed many edifices in Güines, for which he is still recognized.

On August 18 of 1962, Simón and his older brother Manolo arrived in the United States as part of the Operation Peter Pan exodus. Their parents believed they would be reunited with their sons within months, but because of unforeseen historical events their separation lasted for years. Without family with whom they could live in the United States, Simón and Manolo were sent to live in Lawrence Hall Home for Boys, an orphanage in Chicago, Illinois. While waiting for his parents to arrive in the United States, Simón graduated high school at age 16 and began his B.S. in Finance at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Despite the trauma of family separation, Simón went on to earn his MBA in International Business from DePaul University in 1974 and to become a highly successful banker.

Simón served as the Senior Vice President of the First National Bank of Chicago, where he worked for the first fifteen years of his career. During this time, he worked internationally in Kingston, Jamaica and Mexico City, Mexico, and participated in intensive business seminars at Harvard Business School. In the early 1990s, he moved to Miami, where his parents and brother lived, and worked as a senior executive for Lehman Brothers and American Express. In 2006, Simón was elected President of the Florida International Bankers Association. He worked as an independent financial services professional in his final years. At work, Simón was not only recognized for his talent, but known for his mischievous sense of humor and compassionate nature.

Simón was beloved by a large circle of extended family and friends, all of whom were moved by his life story. Even as he worked through weekends, and could be quite private, he was often celebrated as the life of the party. He loved to listen to traditional Cuban and Puerto Rican music, reggae, Motown, and the blues. He owned a palm tree nursery in southern Florida that he enjoyed managing, and co-owned a vineyard in Argentina. He preferred to make funny faces or tough guy poses for pictures, which is why none of his professional photos quite look like him.

Simón is survived by his wife Afra Alvarado Amich, with whom he shared the last 25 years of his life; his children Candice E. Amich of Nashville, TN and Simon Eric Amich (Lauren) of Winnetka, Illinois, from his first wife Elsa Coss; his son Simon Esteban Amich of Miami, Florida, from his second wife Josefina Jager; his daughter Danielle Marie La Puma of Miami Beach, Florida; a brother, Manolo Amich (María Mercedes) of Miami, Florida; and two grandchildren, Olivia Briar Amich and Simon Patrick Amich.

Visitation hours and services will be on Sunday, December 18 from 6pm-11pm at Caballero Rivero Westchester, 8200 SW 40th Street, Miami, Florida 33155.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in Simón’s name to Lawrence Hall (https://www.lawrencehall.org) or the American Cancer Society (https://www.cancer.org).