Belkis H Armand

Belkis Haydee Armand Perez was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba on December 16, 1924. She passed away in Pembroke Pines, Florida on October 14, 2012 due to complications from a stroke.

Cuca was the youngest of four daughters, born to Esperanza Melendez Wood and Otilio Perez. Her friends and family members all called her Cuca. Her father gave each of his daughters' nicknames which stuck with them the rest of their lives. The story goes that Cuca was named after a character on an old Cuban radio show. The character was a secretary and social butterfly.

Cuca had American, French and Spanish ancestors. Cuca's grandmother on her mother's side immigrated from France . Cuca's great grandfather was an American related to General Leonard Wood, who commanded the U.S. forces in Cuba during the Spanish-American war and became the first Governor of the island after the war ended. Her father's side of the family all hailed from Spain. Family rumor has it that Cuca's grandmother was related to the King of Spain.

At age three Cuca and her family moved from Santiago to Havana. Despite growing up in Havana, Cuca still called Santiago her home town. Previous generations of her family had been born and raised there and she remained close to her relatives back in Santiago. She visited her grandmother's beach house every summer. Meanwhile, her aunts and uncles from Santiago would trek across the island to visit while attending Spanish festivals in Havana.

She grew up in Vedado, which prior to the Cuban Revolution was a wealthy neighborhood in Havana. Cuca studied ballet at the Sociedad Pro-Arte Musical in Havana while growing up. As a young girl Cuca's time as a dancer was threatened by a career ending leg injury, but thankfully one of her uncles, a surgeon, was able to save her leg. One cannot say for certain how she injured her leg as the story changed many times depending on the dangerous stunt she found her grandchildren engaging in; however she did have a scar on her calf, so there is no doubt that an injury occurred at some point in her life.

Cuca danced with and was later taught by Alicia Alonso, Cuba's prima ballerina and founder of Cuba's National Ballet. She retired from dancing when she married Enrique at the age of 22. Cuca and Enrique met in their neighborhood of Vedado.

Enrique would first notice Cuca walking by his home as a young woman. He would become smitten with Cuca on March 2, 1946 when he first saw her dance a "ballet de carnival" at the Havana Yacht Club. A week later on March 10th, Enrique asked Cuca out on a date to the cinema. There and then they became "novios". Over a year later they married on September 19, 1947 at the Church of Vedado.

In the early years of their marriage Cuca and Enrique traveled back and forth between Havana and Key West, where Enrique held a job with a Cuban airline. They would later immigrate to the United States permanently in 1953 with their first child Henry, born three years earlier.

In 1956, they bought their one and only home in Hialeah, Florida. In 1958, Cuca gave birth to her second child Belkis Teresa. Their home in Hialeah became the main gathering point for family get-togethers for many years to come. They loved entertaining during the Christmas holidays the most. Cuca and Enrique not only raised their kids and grandkids there, but also opened their home to friends and family members escaping the Cuban Revolution.

As a person Cuca was very personable, full of energy and very friendly. She enjoyed socializing with friends, family, and going to la pelqueria or the hairdressers every Saturday. She also enjoyed playing a mean game of canasta with her sisters on Sundays.

Cuca also enjoyed meeting new people. As a result, Cuca made friends and acquaintances just about everywhere she went. All the store employees knew her by name. In the early 1970s, Cuca used her people skills to good effect when she went to work at a clothing store in Westland Mall called Young Sophisticates. Cuca excelled at selling and became the top seller at the store.

Cuca's favorite music was pop standards from the 1940s and 1950s. She enjoyed such singers as Rosemary Clooney, and Nat King Cole. She enjoyed watching TV shows such as Lawrence Welk, Que Pasa USA, the Golden Girls , Murder She Wrote, and Dave Letterman with the closed caption on so as to not wake other family members at night. She also enjoyed movie musicals and old movies on Turner Classic Movies. Cuca was a dog lover. She enjoyed taking her poodles to get their hair and nails done.

Cuca and Enrique spent their free time travelling together. They spent many years touring Europe and taking their grandkids to Disney World. Cuca said her favorite countries to travel to were Spain, Italy and England. Spain in particular was their home away from home. They even befriended a local cab driver who drove them all over the country. They would travel there once or twice a year, (sometimes more before Enrique's retirement from the airline industry in 1989). Enrique enjoyed eating in Spain, while Cuca enjoyed to shop. Cuca's favorite hotel was the Princess in Madrid.

Cuca and Enrique shared their home together in Hialeah until the end of 2006 when Enrique's illness caused them to move to their daughter's home in Pembroke Pines. Enrique passed away in August 2007 with Cuca by his side. Cuca spent her remaining 5 years without Enrique by spending time with her family, shopping, fattening up the family pets and enjoying her two new great grandchildren.

Cuca passed away with her daughter and fourth oldest granddaughter by her side, who were singing one of her many goofy songs from Cuba. Cuca was a very warm, loving and generous wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, grandmother, and great grandmother. Cuca like her name and rest of her family was a character. She will be terribly missed by her family and friends she left behind, including the family pets.

Cuca's life and energy can be summed up by the positive lyrics from the musical "Hello Dolly", a song she enjoyed waking up her grandchildren too in the mornings.

I said hello, dolly...well, hello dolly. It's so nice to have you back where you belong. You're lookin' swell, dolly...I can tell, dolly. It's so nice to have you back where you belong....

Somewhere Cuca is again singing this tune with her well-dressed husband of nearly 60 years by her side and playing a mean game of canasta with her sisters.