Mercedes Tosca

“A butterfly lights beside us, like a sunbeam..and for a brief moment, its glory and beauty belong to our world…but then it flies on again, and although we wish it could have stayed, we are so thankful to have seen it at all.” –Author unknown

Mercedes Tosca, 75, of Miami, FL passed away surrounded by her family on Saturday, November 7, 2020 after a long, courageous battle with Multiple Myeloma. She will be laid to rest in the peaceful, snow-capped mountains of North Carolina.


Mercedes was born September 24, 1945 in Havana, Cuba to Carlos and Hilda Penabaz. She moved to New York at the young age of 10, where she was educated at Rhodes Preparatory School—joining the National Honor Society and serving as Student Council Judge—and later at St John’s University, where she received her BA in French Language and Literature. She taught briefly in the Miami-Dade Public Schools system before starting her second careers of full-time mother and office manager for her husband Armando Tosca, MD, who passed in 2013.

A caring and selfless mother, doting grandmother, and loving daughter, Mercedes was always smiling and was a beacon of light who brought love and joy to those around her. She enjoyed going to the beach, French culture, and all things Japanese.

Mercedes' favorite pastime, though, was spending time with her family (two daughters, a son, and two grandchildren). She would be quick to tell you that her greatest joy in life was having had her children and doing what she could to make them happy. She was very proud of their individual achievements and, it seems, waited until they were all present and at her bedside to pass from this world.

Her radiant light will live on in the hearts of those who knew her.