William "Buddy" Herrera

Buddy was born January 5th, 1926, in Havana, Cuba, to Gustavo and Alma Herrera and spent his childhood in Cuba mostly in the Kohly neighborhood in Havana.

On April 7, 1952, he married Elsa de Cardenas, with whom he would enjoy a loving marriage of 50 years until her death in 2002.

Buddy owned and operated a tire and rubber products business in Cuba until he left with Elsa in 1959 to the U.S., initially settling in Akron, Ohio, where he worked for Goodrich Tire Company. Here, Buddy and Elsa cared for three of her brother Juan’s children for over 2 years until Juan and his family exiled Cuba. In 1968, he moved back to the warm tropics of Puerto Rico where he discovered a love for the promotional products/advertising specialties business. Buddy and his family moved to Miami in 1971 and was in the promotional products business for the rest of his life. His reputation among his clients was one of perseverance and superb customer service.

Buddy loved sports, and was an avid baseball player and golfer. As a young adult in Cuba, he had the privilege of playing in a semi-pro baseball league, and, in his sixties, made two holes in one in one round of golf with three priests! He was also an expert dominoes player and he loved attending the sports events of his children, having the occasional “friendly” arguments with umpires and coaches. Buddy was also known for his storytelling, and until his passing, could recall minute details from his life events. Storytelling of his life events and experiences was a clear passion for him.

Buddy was preceded in death by his lovely wife, Elsa C. Herrera, and his brother, Sonny Herrera. He is survived by his three children, Bill Herrera (partner Catalina Cadavid) and his two children with Tania Herrera, Kristian Herrera and Justin Herrera, Elsa (David) Schack and their four children, Julia Schack, Casey Schack, Owen Schack and Ellie Schack and Gonzalo (Kelly) Herrera and their two children, Erica Herrera and Emma Herrera as well as many nieces and nephews.

Funeral service will be on Saturday, July 30th, 2022 at 10:30 AM at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. The address is 11691 NW 25 Street, Doral, Florida 33172. A committal service will be Saturday, July 30, 2022 at 12:00 PM at Our Lady of Mercy, 11411 NW 25 Street, Doral, Florida 33172. The morning of the services, July 30, 2022, from 8 am to 9:30 am, you may also pass by the Caballero Rivero Westchester funeral home at 8200 Bird Rd, Miami, FL 33155 for a visitation with family and friends. This is, of course, optional and the family and procession will leave from the funeral home straight to the service at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church at 10:00 am.

Flowers and/or memorial contributions to Tri-County Animal Rescue and “Pitch In” for Youth Baseball for the World are equally welcome. Kindly mention “In honor of William Herrera” along with your name for acknowledgement. Links are provided under the donation section below.

donation link: https://tricountyanimalrescue.com/donate%2F-sponsor

donation link: https://pitchinbaseball.org/#donate