Mercedes "Mercy" Diaz Miranda's Obituary
Miami, Florida
Mercedes “Mercy” Diaz Miranda, 95, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, March 6th, 2026, surrounded by her loving children, grandchildren, and family.
A pillar of the community for decades, Mercy leaves behind the family she cherished, the community she loved, and a legacy of service that will endure. A staunch advocate for women, minorities, and civic life, she served more than 100 organizations and received numerous awards and commemorations—including honors from community leaders, elected officials, and Presidents of the United States.
Mercy was born on June 28, 1930, in Havana, Cuba, to Esperanza Cuervo Corrales and Carlos Diaz Valdes. She was educated at Catholic schools including St. Theresa, the Dominican American Sisters in Havana, and St. John’s Villa Academy in New York. She later completed postgraduate studies at the University of Havana School of Journalism and Communications.
Her career began in 1949 with the CMQ (Circuito CMQ) Broadcasting Network. In 1952, she married Jose Antonio Miranda Marina (d.1991), and together they welcomed seven children. In 1960, they immigrated to Spain, continuing her marketing career at Juan Gros Marketing Agency in Madrid. In 1969, she returned to the United States and joined the Suburban Division of The Miami Herald. In 1973, Mercy was promoted within the corporation, joining Knight-Ridder Newspapers, the publisher of The Miami Herald. In 2011, she married Salvador J. Juncadella, Esq. (2023); together they shared twelve years of marriage until his passing in 2023.
Mercy worked for the publisher during the era when founding members and original executives of the newspaper empire—including John S. Knight, Alvah H. Chapman Jr., Lee Hills, Ann Wrenn King, Phil de Montmollin, Richard “Dick” Capen, Beverly Carter, John Kosanke, Bob Singleton, Joyce Meyers, James K. Batten, and others—were building community roots in Greater Miami. In reviewing dozens of personal letters from former bosses and executives of The Miami Herald and Knight Ridder Newspapers, Robert Singleton summed it up when he wrote after an important event she produced: “Your planning was superb. Your execution was even better. Your participation was over and above the call of duty!” Throughout her career, that is how Mercy approached her work—and, in the words of John Kosanke, “You are an inspiration to us all.”
In 1978, she was named Hispanic Community Relations Manager, recognized for her rare ability to listen, connect, and bridge communities as Miami continued to grow and change. She became even more engaged in volunteer work—centering the strength of women and minorities—and championed the importance of preserving history, telling our stories, and f inding ways to celebrate and honor them. During her 38 years with The Miami Herald Publishing Co., Mercy worked tirelessly to elevate the community’s diversity and celebrate the multicultural gifts of Greater Miami. In 1986, former Chairman and Publisher Richard G. Capen thanked Mercy for helping the newspaper make significant progress in building trust with the Hispanic community, noting that each day she reminded him how effectively and professionally she represented The Miami Herald.
Later promoted to Assistant Director of Community Relations, Mercy remained in that role until her retirement in 1995. She accomplished what would be challenging for most: a demanding career, raising seven children as a single parent, and serving as a tireless volunteer and advocating for countless groups and causes. Dave Lawrence, former Publisher of The Miami Herald, said of Mercy: “She fiercely cared about her Herald, her family, her country (this one and Cuba). A great professional with strong opinions about so much—and was almost always right! A wonderful person, who deserves to be celebrated.” With impeccable leadership, she was often the face of the newspaper in the community—especially as Miami’s Hispanic community helped propel the city into the vibrant place it has become.
Mercy regarded her work as an executive and representative of one of the nation’s most important newspapers, The Miami Herald, as one of her proudest accomplishments. Her lifelong work spans decades and is intertwined with a true “who’s who” of this community dating back to the 1970s. Through old newspaper clippings and photographs, her impact is clear, the issues she helped advance, the groups she collaborated with, and the respect and affection so many held for her. Even after she retired, Mercy continued volunteering for many years, always finding a way to help.
Ann Wrenn King, a former Knight Ridder Newspapers executive and Mercy’s mentor, often praised her work and supported her efforts in the community. Understanding the responsibility a major newspaper has toward its community, Ms. Wrenn frequently crossed paths with Mercy in collaborations such as the Southern Area Conference for the Southern Chapter of the Financial Executives Institute, when Mercy orchestrated the “Evening in the Tropics” at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. Ms. Wrenn, on behalf of the members and leadership of the organization, thanked Mercy for her “superior job and outstanding success,” including “the stroke of genius of creating the song Florida for the event,” which proved to be a huge success—witnessed by the group’s collective singing as the evening came to a close.
On any given day, you could find Mercy on the second floor of The Miami Herald—in the Art Department—or at a printer or fabricator, creating something beautiful and purposeful for a community event. Her eye for style, paired with her ability to deliver a focused message, helped make every project she touched a success. That work is memorialized by hundreds of letters— some thanking her, others celebrating shared victories, and many expressing admirations for her steadfast generosity. Former Miami Herald colleague Rosa Gonzalez recently recalled, “Mercy was mentor, a hard-working professional and good friend. Her contributions to this community and to my life are endless.” Eileen Rodriguez and Lory Reyes, also former colleagues, spoke of Mercy as a “smart, humble and compassionate person. A true humanitarian, and her family and work are her life... a lifetime mentor and friend, a woman of honor and accomplishments, but mostly someone you can count on unconditionally.”
Mercy’s legacy in this community is vast, and the honors she received tell only part of the story. She was recognized by Women in Communications Inc. (W.I.C.I.) for her “enviable stamina and dedication, a woman for all seasons,” and was celebrated as a Community Headliner alongside leaders such as Thelma Anderson Gibson, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, Rosario Kennedy, and other prominent women. The Orange Bowl Committee recognized her for creating Carnaval ’78; the Greater Miami Opera recognized her as a founding member of the Interamerican Foundation for the Endowment of the Fine Arts; she was honored as an Outstanding Volunteer by the United Way; and she was nominated for the Woman of the Year Award by the Latin Business and Professional Women’s Club. In 1981, Eastern Airlines awarded her the Latin Advisory Committee Community Excellence Award, and the City of Coral Gables presented her with a key to the city for her outstanding leadership. In 1982, Mercy was invited to the White House for the signing of the Act on Minorities.
Mercy was a founding member and president of the Cuban Women’s Club, a strong group of Cuban-American women focused on providing scholarships to low-income women and mentoring a generation of community philanthropy. The Floridana annual community service award—created by Mercy in 1976—remains a prestigious award to this day. She was a founding board member of Hispanic Heritage Week; Chairperson and Charter Officer of the Hispanic Heritage Council. The history of Florida was also very important to her, and she served on the Board of the Florida Humanities Council, Urban League of Greater Miami, Cuban Museum of Arts and Culture, Beacon Council, and The University of Miami Cuban Heritage Collection. She also served as Chair of the 1st Latin Orange Bowl Festival Council for Carnaval Miami and Calle Ocho; was a member of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Scholarship Committee; and served as Board Member of the Miami Film Festival, United Way, Sunstreet Festival, Miami International Book Fair, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Children’s Home Society, American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, SCLAD, Jackson Memorial Hospital Foundation, Latin Business and Professional Women’s Club, Florida Memorial College, and dozens of other community organizations that served the needs of a growing, diverse community.
Mercy’s work reflects the vision she held for the issues that mattered to our community. She went beyond what most would call greatness—always with humility and professionalism, celebrating the work of organizations rather than herself. She mentored many. As her colleague Debra Duster Owen recently recalled: “I worked with Mercy in Community Relations. As the first black person in the division, she immediately took me under her wing. She was tough but also caring and a class act.” Even so, she could not avoid the recognition she so greatly deserved for her volunteerism, work ethic, and creative determination to make each event the very best it could be. She served on dozens of boards, including the Family Counseling Services board with (then) Florida House of Representatives John F. Cosgrove.
Mercy was the recipient of several local awards and honors, including the Three Crown Award from the Coalition of Hispanic American Women, the Cuban Women’s Club, and the Latin Business and Professional Women’s Club; the Spirit Among Us Award; the Archdiocese of Miami San Juan de Puerto Rico Humanitarian Award; the Kiwanis of Little Havana Community Service Award; the Julietta O’Farrill de Secades Award; the Latin Business and Professional Women’s Award for Outstanding Achievement; the In the Company of Women Award; the Knight-Ridder Excellence Award; the Metropolitan Dade County Outstanding Citizens Award; the United Way Citizen Award; the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Special Award; and she was the first recipient of the Elena D. Amos Citizen Award from the University of Miami School of Medicine. With dozens of additional awards, commemorations, and honors—including a Proclamation from the City of Miami and Metropolitan Dade County for “Mercy Diaz Miranda Day,” keys to cities, U.S. Congressional recognitions (including for Women’s History Month), being named to the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame, and receiving the Order of the Orchid distinction by Governor Bob Graham, as well as honors from the White House—Mercy was hosted by former First Ladies Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush, invited to the inaugurations of Presidents Reagan, Bush 42, and Bush 43, and volunteered with President Carter’s Commission for Volunteerism. Her accolades extended across public and private sector business, health and family advocacy, and international organizations; yet among her most prized were the multiple awards—including Executive of the Year and Volunteer of the Year—she received from Knight-Ridder, and the respect and love of her colleagues and friends at The Miami Herald.
In 2010, Mercy embarked on a labor of love for an organization (and former school) that was deeply personal to her: the Dominican American Alumnae. She published a book commemorating the 80th anniversary of the schools in Cuba and the U.S. This historical book was designed, created, edited, and published by Mercy to preserve the legacy of an institution that educated so many women during that period. The weeks and months she devoted to the project felt like a journey through her own life—revisiting each story and celebrating the history and significance of the women and their contributions to their communities. Her experience in journalism, technology, copy set, and publishing guided her through that project, along with several television shows she hosted on PBS and other local stations during the 1980s and 1990s. If there was a topic to be discussed, Mercy found a way to bring it forward—through television, print media, community meetings, and advisory boards, including the United States Congressional Advisory Board, where she served as a special advisor on minority affairs.
A person of this caliber is a gift to a community—but none greater than the gift she was to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. As a mother of seven—Mercedes Maria Miranda (d. 1999), Jose Antonio Miranda II (Isabelle Oliver), Paloma Maria Miranda, Cristina Miranda Gilson, Javier Alejandro Miranda (Arlene Suarez), Mary Ann Miranda, and Maria Elena Miranda (Alberto Sotolongo)—Mercy faced many of the challenges women face today, sevenfold. She became a single head of household and worked tirelessly to better herself and the lives of her children. She held high standards, was tough when she needed to be, and was also one of the most giving and loving people we can call our own. Her role as “Mom” was, without question, her greatest and most cherished accomplishment. Her unwavering love for her family was her beacon. She mentored and taught by example; instilled the value of education and culture; championed community participation; and promoted the benefits of volunteering—so that her children could grow into giving members of the community. The values of tradition, empathy, and honor have been welded into the lives of her children and grandchildren, who participated alongside her and saw firsthand what it means to serve your community and your neighbor. If anyone ever asked her, she would always say that “her children were the greatest thing in her life.”
As a grandmother, she was extraordinary, unconventional, and ever-present. The experiences and memories her grandchildren shared with her are priceless; the guidance, love, and adventure she gave them could fill a book of its own. Time with “Grandmamma” included pickups at school with the mandatory stop for a Publix cookie and the favorite strawberry shake at Norman Brothers, learning the ‘Angel de la Guarda’ and the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ each time they got into her car, the ever present WTMI classical radio station, sleepovers, concerts and dance recitals, shows, outings, and travel.
Mercy was preceded in death by her parents, Esperanza Cuervo Corrales and Carlos Diaz Valdes; her husband Jose Antonio Miranda Marina, and Salvador J. Juncadella, Esq.; her daughter, Mercedes Maria Miranda; her sister, Milagros Morales Rouco; her aunt, Caridad Cuervo de Morales; and her sister-in-law, Maruja Miranda Meana.
In addition to her children, Mercy leaves behind her beloved seven grandchildren: Joseph Anthony Miranda III; Jennifer Marie Miranda (David Stout); Meagan Bonnie Maria BouscherMiranda (William “BJ” Nauman); Katherine Mary Gilson-Miranda; Hope Maria SotolongoMiranda; Marina de las Mercedes Miranda; and Hanna Maria Sotolongo-Miranda. She also leaves two beautiful great-grandchildren, Andrew Oliver Stout and Miranda Mei BouscherNauman who brought her much joy during the last years of her life; her cousin Pedro Garrido and family; her nephew Roberto Meana Miranda (Charo Alvarez); Alberto (“Berto”) Meana Alvarez (Alicia); Miguel Meana Alvarez; and other beloved nieces, nephews, and extended family members in the U.S.A. and Spain.
Today we celebrate the lifelong legacy of a mother, grandmother, friend, and community leader whose love knew no boundaries. We celebrate a woman who was a constant in her family’s life, and whose devotion helped shape the life she lived. She lived a full, beautiful, and complex life—and on March 6th, she was received into the arms of the Lord.
The family would like to express heartfelt gratitude to her personal caretakers, her Vitas Hospice team, and the many close friends that have been like family to her for all of their support during these past few years.
She will be deeply missed, and her legacy will live on.
Service information
Viewing Van Orsdel Funeral Home 4600 SW 8th Street Coral Gables, FL 33134
Holy Mass St. Augustine Catholic Church (University of Miami) 1400 Miller Drive Coral Gables FL 33146
Entombment Burial Service Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery Ascension Chapel 11411 NW 25th Street Miami FL 33172
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