Francisco Prieto

Francisco Prieto was born in Habana, Cuba on August 24, 1933. He came to the United States with his wife and son in 1962 fleeing the Cuban regime, and lived and worked in New York City before moving to Miami in 1979.

As I write this, my father is abed, and my mother is by his side. The doctors have said things, but he abides. The news is not good, and yet he jokes constantly, flirts with his nurses, and has kind words for every stranger that he instantly makes into a friend. And as I write this, my tears flow, not merely from grief, but from having wanted to do this for many years and having delayed.

But I digress. I wish to share their story, the story of a couple bound together through trials and joys and miles and countries and cultures.

These days, and in many days past, there is talk of Great people. People who claim Greatness, purport to do Great deeds, puff out their chests and make Great speeches, and make a Great mark in History. My parents would laugh if someone called them Great.

There is, in my mind, something people seldom speak of, the notion of Good people. Humble servants who go about their lives to do least harm, and bring value and joy to the world. I'll come back to this.

Great people, ironically, are seldom Good (with notable exceptions). They often have little time for the banalities of cooking someone a meal, changing a dirty diaper, or building someone a little ramp, or two, for their arthritic dachshunds.

Now those of you who know my parents outside of immediate family and friends, know them in some specific ways. I'll put some words here: child rearing, croquetas, cheesecake and flan.

There are a little over fifty children out there who gained an extra set of parents in their early years. When my parents moved to Florida in 1979, my mother began caring for children out of her house to make ends meet. This grew over the years, and though I only met a few in the earliest years, I hope to meet many more. At first Mami did all the work, caring for up to six kids at a time, not only doing the physical work, but teaching them as she would, doing as much to parent then as they needed. Later, Papi would help as well, doing well the things that needed doing, the way he has always done.

In this way, my parents have put more of their character into the world than many, and that legacy is beyond value.

While doing all this work with the children, Mami cooked for our family, of course. One of her signature creations was her croquetas. If you know, you know. And inevitably, she would often feed these to the kids she cared for for their lunches. Some of the parents noticed, and after sampling a bite, started asking her to make some for them. This went from a few here and there, to them wanting to pay her to make them for their families. That's how another business was created by Mami and Papi. She became pretty well known for her croquetas, making hundreds a week for some time, and Papi faithfully delivered them. There's even an unverified story that one of the local restaurants, (we will mention no names), modified their recipe to include one particular, unusual ingredient of hers that is still unique.

During the early years when Papi still worked for the phone company, he began making cheesecakes for Christmas gifts. These were from a special recipe introduced to him by an Italian neighbor in New York, a ricotta cheesecake. Most remember them because they had never had one before Papi made them one, and many looked forward to those cheesecakes every year, raving about how good they were. The cheesecakes later turned into flan, and everyone continued to sing their praises. He gifted these creations to dozens of friends every year.

During all this, Francisco had an active woodworking and handyman hobby. He came to the United States from Cuba, and learned on his own, remodeling his house in Staten Island mostly himself-Plumbing, carpentry, masonry, and electrical work. He learned all of these things from scratch while learning a completely new language. After moving to Florida, he continued mostly with carpentry and woodworking, as well as electrical work. Between him and some contractors, he transformed an 80s tract home into a small suburban palace, adding multiple sections, retiling the entire house four times, and maintaining a lovely garden with tropical fruit trees that fed many delicious shakes.

In addition to all these, he earned an associates degree in computer science at over 55 years of age, never losing the desire to learn, improve himself, and expand his interests.

Add to this his most important legacy. Three sons, each college educated with strong careers, and happily married. Four grandchildren also educated, some already with exceptional careers of their own, and finally their wonderful great grandchild, the apple of their eye. The values they installed in them all is an imprint on the world they could have only dreamed of when they asked only for a chance to contribute.

All this is to describe the life of a couple who came to this country with the clothes on their back, a few photos from Cuba, and one high school diploma between them. A couple who, while striving for success, defined their entire lives by sharing, creating, and enriching the lives of everyone who even bumped into them. Good people who have made the world bigger, kinder, and unquestionably better by their presence. Though they would never claim such accolades, I humbly submit that my parent's lives and legacies are what makes Good people Great.

Francisco Prieto passed away peacefully on September 21, 2026 at the age of 93 from cancer. He is survived by three sons, four grandchildren, and one great granddaughter.

A Committal Service will be held at Caballero Rivero Woodlawn South & Woodlawn Park Cemetery South, 11655 SW 117th Ave, Miami, FL 33186, US, on September 28, 2026, from 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm.