Caridad Garcia

Caridad Garcia of Hialeah, passed away peacefully on Friday, August 11, 2023.

Caridad, or Cari as she liked to be called, was born Caridad Acelia Perez Vega on April 10, 1938 in Cienfuegos, Cuba.  She was the eldest daughter of Mariano Perez Ditta and Aurora Vega Gamboa de Perez.  She has one brother Mariano Gabriel Perez Vega, of Camaguey Cuba.

She completed her high school education ("bachillerato") at the Catholic all-girls school - Colegio Teresiano de Camaguey.  Her dream was to become a pharmacist, and briefly attended university in Cuba.

At the age of 21, she left Cuba, and moved to the beautiful mountain town of Moreda, Monforte de Lemos, Spain.  She lived in Spain with her maternal grandparents for 3 years.  After Spain, Cari relocated to Brooklyn, New York – where she lived with her Godmother.

Upon arrival in the United States, Cari went to work at the RCA company, located in Newark, New Jersey.  Tired of commuting by train between Newark and Brooklyn, Cari would proceed to rent a flat in Newark from a nice Cuban family - the Garcias.  She soon met their youngest son Felix, or "Rolando" as she loved to call him, who had recently returned home after serving in Vietnam.

Cari and Felix were married on May 5th, 1967.  They would welcome their daughter, Cary in February 1968, and their son Roland in August 1977.

During the 70s, Cari and Felix enjoyed traveling the country by car, as well as camping in wonderful Cape May, New Jersey.  They loved visiting Florida, including the newly opened Walt Disney World.  In 1978, Cari and Felix moved to Hialeah, Florida to be closer to their aging parents, then retired.

In Florida, Cari and Felix's love of travel and adventure soon expanded to include the sea.  They bought a small vacation home in Key Largo and boat.  Cari often accompanied Felix on many more trips, including Spain, Peru, and Canada.

Cari was a wonderful wife and mom.  She was also a loving, dutiful daughter – that took great care of both her parents when they became sick and later passed.  She was very fashionable.  She loved Chihuahuas, scary movies, a good cup of coffee or tea, reading books, listening to music.  Among her favorite artists were Johnny Cash and Marco Antonio Solis.  She was particularly proud of her 9-foot cactus at the front of the house.  She always remained close to her Catholic roots – devotee of St. Theresa of Avila.  She even volunteered and taught Spanish at Immaculate Conception School in Hialeah.
In later years, Cari and Felix would welcome a granddaughter – Aurora Marie.

Cari is survived by her husband Felix, her brother Mariano, her children Roland and Cary, their spouses Tanya and Ian, grandchildren Victoria, Ian and Aurora, and nieces Caridad and Maria.
A visitation will be held on Thursday, August 17th from 6-10 p.m. at Vista Funeral Home, 5755 NW 142 Street, Miami Lakes, FL 33014.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made in her name to St. Jude Children's Hospital at stjude.org

Anyone wishing to send the family a message or share a story is asked to visit Cari's memorial page at www.vistafunerals.com.