Marta Hevia

Marta Hevia passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 16th, 2026, in Miami, Florida, at 103 years of age. She was born on February 23rd, 1923, in La Habana, Cuba, to her parents Patrocinio “Chelo” Iglesias and Manuel Valdés-Camejo. She had three siblings: Benito, Manolito, and Virginia.

As a child, Marta and her brother would accompany their step-uncle Feliú, a fireman who helped rescue American sailors when the USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor, to the monument honoring the victims along the Malecón. Tourists would give the children quarters, which they used to buy treats.

In her youth, Marta learned English, sewing, and trained to become an elementary school teacher.

Marta married Arnaldo Hevia in 1951, and in 1959 they welcomed their son, Antonio. When the revolution came to Cuba, she sacrificed her dreams for the safety of her family. Forced to leave her parents and siblings behind, the young family fled communism and arrived in Miami as political refugees in 1961 with only a few personal belongings and the clothes on their backs.

Exile was difficult, and she never saw her beloved parents again, which was her greatest heartbreak. Yet she had known hardship before. She survived typhoid fever as a child and lived through scarcity during the Great Depression and World War II. Thrift, resilience, and determination shaped her life.

Marta was a devoted housewife and mother. She dedicated herself to her son’s education and upbringing. Although her husband was Baptist, she insisted that Antonio receive a Catholic education. She tutored him, helped with homework, and walked him to and from school every day.

When Antonio grew older, Marta worked in several factories, applying her sewing skills and her ability to translate between English and Spanish. Still, caring for children remained the closest she came to the teaching career she once prepared for. When her grandson Alexander was born, she eagerly volunteered to help raise him while her son and daughter-in-law pursued their professions.

Marta was married to Arnaldo for 57 years, until his passing in 2008 at the age of 84. She is survived by her loving son Antonio, his wife Maria, her grandson Alexander, his wife Elisa, and her extended family and friends. She will be deeply missed.