Herminia "Herma" Chirino Wirth's Obituary
Herminia Chirino Wirth
January 1, 1930 – June 29, 2026
Herminia "Herma" Chirino Wirth, 96 of Coral Gables, Florida, passed away peacefully on June 29, 2026. She was born on January 1, 1930, in Havana, Cuba, to Fernando and Herminia Chirino.
Herma spent her childhood in Hershey, Cuba, a sugar-manufacturing town founded by Milton Hershey, where her father served as the company's doctor. She grew up in an extended family alongside her brothers Arturo and Fernando ("Tata"), his wife Sophia Chirino, niece Patricia and nephew Fernando ("Chuqui"). At 10, Herma met her future husband, Paul Wirth, the son of Hershey plant manager Harry Wirth.
A trained musician, she studied piano and held a lifelong love of classical music, ballet and opera. She attended Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans before transferring to Loyola University New Orleans, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in music education.
After their college graduations in 1952, Herma and Paul married, launching a 24-year journey as an Army family that took them to bases across the United States, including a three-year posting in Berlin, Germany. Their three children were born along the way: Paul (Rick) at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina; Deborah (Debbie) in Hershey, Cuba; and Carolyn (Carrie) at Ft. Rucker, Alabama.
Following Paul's military service in 1976, the family settled in Miami’s Cutler South, where Paul took over a family business, and Herma reconnected with a wide circle of Cuban family and friends. After their home was destroyed in Hurricane Andrew in 1992, they moved to Coral Gables, where they became longtime members of the Church of the Little Flower.
Known affectionately by friends as the "Cuban Betty Crocker," Herma was a talented cook and hostess whose table reflected her wide-ranging tastes — Cuban classics, Cajun dishes from her New Orleans years and French cuisine inspired by European travels. An elegant and artistic woman with a keen eye for antiques, she made her home a warm gathering place for family and friends throughout her life.
Herma is survived by her children, Rick Wirth, his wife Linda Yusman Wirth, DDS and their children Christopher Wirth, JD, Jonathan Wirth, DDS and Jordan Wirth, DDS (Ema Walsh, PA), daughters Debbie Wirth and Carrie Wirth (Christian Palmer), niece Patricia Chirino and nephew Fernando Chirino (Frances Chirino). She was preceded in death by her husband, COL Paul R. Wirth, USA (Ret.), brothers Fernando Chirino, M.D. and Rev. Arturo Chirino, S.J. and parents Herminia Alonso Chirino and Fernando Chirino, M.D.
A visitation will be held at Van Orsdel Funeral Home in Coral Gables, Thursday, July 9, 5-8 p.m. and a funeral Mass will be held on July 10 at 9:30 a.m. at Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables.
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