Eugenia Tachmes

A graveside service for Eugenia held Sunday, January 30, 2022 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery, 1125 NW 137 Street, Miami, FL 33168.

Eugenia Garazi Tachmes passed away on January 26, 2022 at her home in Miami Beach. She was 91. She is survived by her sons, Dr. Leonard Tachmes and Alexander I. Tachmes, her brother Sabeto Garazi, her nieces and nephews Dora Maya and Albert Litter, Paulina and David Litter, Joyce Bejar, Belina Crespin, Diana Semel and Andy Ziffer, Susie and Jack Levine, Belina Nagar, Karen and Jaime Dornbusch, Bernie and Valerie Garazi, Edward and Carrie Garazi, Blanqui Garazi and Isaac and Anita Garazi, Esther Buchsbaum, Morgan Buchsbaum and Richard Lupovich, Tersi and Gabriel Ruchelsman, her cousins Eugenia “Ochinica” Rodriguez, Dora Maya, Becky Sapayo Levy, Israel Sapayo, Grace Maya Delcastillo, Mario Maya, Becky Tacher Zabielinsky, Sarah Tacher, Mario Tacher, Becky Bordon, her sister-in-law Esther Garazi, and many other dear cousins and relatives. Eugenia had a long and full life and was in excellent health until almost 90.

She was pre-deceased by her husband Dr. Pablo Tachmes, her sister Linda Bejar, her brothers Salomon Garazi and Max Garazi, and her sister-in-law Gloria Maya. She was an amazing woman, who made an impact on so many lives with her warmth, selflessness, commitment to family and friends, and her grace and class. She will be dearly missed.

Eugenia was born on March 17, 1930 in Havana, Cuba. She was the second youngest of 5 children and was born into a financially comfortable and prominent Sephardic Jewish family. Her parents were born in Aleppo, Syria and Istanbul, Turkey and emigrated to Cuba in the early 1900s. Eugenia’s family and friends gave her the nickname “Cheny” to distinguish her from another “Eugenia” in the family and the affectionate nickname stayed with her for the rest of her life.

Because Cheny’s mother died at a young age, Cheny and her sister, Linda (along with the assistance of housekeepers and nannies) raised their 3 brothers, took care of their father and ran the household while they were still children. Cheny’s selflessness and devotion to her family and to those that needed her would be a characteristic trait of hers for the rest of her life. She never asked for anything and didn’t want to be the center of attention. She was happiest being with her family and helping others.

Cheny and her sister Linda formed a very strong bond as children and they remained close and best friends all their lives. Cheny also remained close with her 3 brothers, her sister-in-law Gloria Maya and her many cousins both while in Cuba and in Miami, where they all moved after Castro’s arrival in Cuba. Cheny’s sons, sister, brothers and many relatives were a constant source of great happiness and pride to Cheny. She loved being part of a large family and rarely missed family get-togethers and events.

Cheny had a happy and privileged life while growing up in Cuba and into her late 20s. She was beautiful and smart and refined. She was a gregarious person and was constantly together with her family and friends. She attended balls and parties at the Jewish country club near her home and enjoyed dancing. She had a passion and aptitude for tennis and played constantly at her club, often late into the night. Years later, Cheny would remember fondly that she and her friends would play tennis long into the night and wouldn’t stop until the club manager turned off the tennis court lights for the evening.

Cheny loved fine clothes and she and her sister would regularly have dresses made for them by a local seamstress. Her father owned a textile factory in Havana so obtaining beautiful fabrics was easy to do.

Cheny received her education through high school and then attended a technical college in Havana to learn skills such as sewing, typing, bookkeeping and shorthand. She was intelligent and organized and would always be that way.

As Cheny matured, she had multiple suitors. She was attractive, smart, cultured and elegant and came from a prominent family so she had no shortage of dates and admirers. In 1957, Cheny married Pablo Tachmes, who had graduated medical school at the top of his class at the University of Havana and was on his way to becoming a highly gifted surgeon. Pablo came from a very different background. He was an Ashkenazi Jew, whereas Cheny was Sephardic. Pablo’s family was also very poor. Despite her different background and socio-economic status, Cheny fell in love with Pablo and would never forget his charisma and humor and the long walks they would take together while they were dating. In 1959, Cheny and Pablo had their first son, Leonardo or “Lenny.” To Cheny and Pablo, their sons were the highlight of their lives and brought them immense pride.

Shortly after Lenny’s birth, Pablo was sent to the Cuban countryside by the Castro government to provide free healthcare for farmers and their families. Pablo didn’t want to be without his family and so he sent for Cheny and Lenny, who moved to the countryside to live with Pablo. After a period of time providing free medical care to the farming community, Pablo began receiving pressure from the Castro government to indoctrinate his patients in the benefits of Communism while providing them medical care. Pablo’s suspicions about the Cuban government had been growing for some time and he wanted no part of Communism or advocating for that system of government.

In 1961, Pablo, Cheny and Lenny fled Castro’s dictatorship and emigrated to Miami. Sadly, this event would prove to be the hardest part of Cheny’s life thus far. Cheny’s life went through a huge upheaval when she was forced to leave Cuba. This dramatic, life-changing trauma affected Cheny very profoundly and she had a difficult adjustment to her new life in Miami. She went through a very hard time adjusting to a new city, new culture and new language. And she was ripped away from a life and city she loved in Havana. Fortunately, Cheny had strong support from her friends and family, including her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Max and Emilia Tachmes, who lived with Cheny, Pablo and Lenny in their first apartment in Miami. For the rest of her life, Cheny would credit Max and Emilia with being instrumental in her recovery and in helping take care of so many things in their household while Cheny was unable to do so. Cheny’s recovery from very difficult circumstances was a sign of her willpower, determination and strength of character, which were not immediately obvious to others due to her quiet demeanor. But her inner power and decisiveness were unmistakable and manifested itself in many instances of her life. She repeatedly overcame obstacles and difficult circumstances.

Years later, Cheny responded with her own devotion and love for Max and Emilia. In their elderly years, Max and Emilia had to be placed in nursing homes. Even though Max and Emilia were not her parents and even though they were in 2 separate nursing homes, Cheny would go almost every afternoon of every day to visit each of them. She would make sure they were being well cared for and wanted to provide the attention and affection that so often is lacking for patients in nursing homes. She never forgot the kindness they showed her when she was younger.

In 1965, Cheny and Pablo had their second son, Alexander or “Alex.” Alex and Lenny were their pride and joy. Cheny was a terrific mother and completely devoted to her sons. She always struck the right balance between constant love and quiet discipline and guidance for her children. She was an outstanding cook and maintained an impeccable household. She was always there for Pablo and her sons. Meanwhile, Pablo was adjusting well to Miami and moving up rapidly in his career as a surgeon. In the early 1970s, the family moved into a large home on Biscayne Bay in Miami Beach.

Cheny and Pablo developed many friends in South Florida. Some of their friends were from Cuba and many others they met in Miami. Due to Pablo’s role as president of the Cuban-Jewish Synagogue for seven years in the 1970s, Cheny and Pablo attended many galas and social events over the years.

Although Cheny was a fantastic mother, housewife and caregiver to her in-laws, she had never worked outside the home. That changed in the 1980s when Pablo asked Cheny to provide him with much needed help in his medical office. Despite Cheny’s lack of experience managing a medical office or working outside the house, she was a quick study and very quickly took over running Pablo’s surgery office. Cheny hired and supervised the employees. She maintained the complicated accounting books of the practice and even learned how to schedule Pablo’s surgeries every day with the area hospitals. And, importantly, she stepped up once again when her family needed her. Her transition from housewife to business woman was seamless.

Unfortunately, in approximately 1990, Pablo began having major heart issues and was also diagnosed with advanced diabetes. He soon had to abandon his surgery practice due to his health. Pablo’s inability to work and practice the profession he loved devastated him. From 1990 to 1993, Cheny was at Pablo’s side on a constant basis as he went in and out of the hospital and had frequent doctors’ appointments. She was also there to provide much needed comfort as Pablo grew depressed over his life circumstances. In March 1993, Pablo passed away at home at the young age of 61 with Cheny at his side.

Cheny mourned the loss of her husband and received an outpouring of support from family, friends, former patients and the entire Cuban-Jewish community. Pablo had been an amazing man, who had saved and comforted many lives in his career as a distinguished surgeon and who led the Cuban-Jewish community in exile in Miami while it went through rapid growth in the 1970s. In the aftermath of Pablo’s passing, Cheny reacted with courage, dignity, kindness and resilience.

After a period of mourning and adjusting to life without her husband of many years, Cheny began to reinvent herself and set her goals and priorities going forward. She developed a very active life with her extended family and friends. She spent a lot of time with her sister, brother and cousins and loved it. She became an active member of Temple Moses, which was the Sephardic synagogue in Miami Beach founded by her brothers. Cheny began attending Shabbat services at Temple Moses every Saturday morning for many, many years.

Cheny’s social life blossomed. After she started to go to Temple Moses on a regular basis, she reconnected with a group of women with whom she had been friends as a girl in Havana. Soon after, this group of about 15 women became a permanent social group known simply as “El Grupo” or “The Group.” They would spend every Saturday together from morning until night. The day would start with the women attending Shabbat services at Temple Moses and then they would go to a restaurant for a long lunch. After that, they would go back to the homes of one of the women for coffee and sometimes a light dinner in the early evening. Cheny and her friends from El Grupo bonded very closely and they would remain very close for the rest of their lives, which was approximately 15 years. Cheny loved hosting lavish lunches for her birthday each year. At most of these birthday lunches, Cheny would hire Cuban musicians to perform for her and her friends. These parties almost always involved singing, dancing and laughter. Cheny’s moments with El Grupo were some of the happiest times of her later years.

Cheny maintained a very close relationship with her two sons, Lenny and Alex. They were frequently together and Cheny would speak with her sons usually every day. In approximately 1998, Lenny and Alex bought Cheny a beautiful and large apartment at 5660 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach. The building was elegant and high-end and had a lot of wonderful staff. Cheny proceeded to supervise a major renovation of her apartment after moving in so it would be to her taste. Cheny loved her new home and would live there comfortably for 24 years. Lenny and Alex always took great pride in knowing that they provided so well for their Mother and that she was so happy in her home.

Sunday brunch was a tradition for Cheny, Lenny and Alex. Most of the time, the three of them had brunch on Sunday’s at beautiful LaGorce Country Club, where Alex is a member. The Sunday brunches were very special moments for the family. Cheny, Lenny and Alex would spend time together, get caught up with each other’s lives, eat wonderful food and enjoy the unique and special time of a mother and her sons.

In addition to her sons and the large Garazi family, Cheny was very close to her niece Dora Maya and Dora’s daughter Paulina. Cheny thought of Dora as her daughter and Paulina as her granddaughter. Cheny, Lenny and Alex spent many many wonderful times at family dinners at Dora’s home and at other occasions. Dora also provided an amazing amount of love and support during the difficult last 18 months of Cheny’s life.