ROSA MARIA UGALDE's Obituary
Rosa Maria Fresneda Ugalde
February 18, 1943 – May 19, 2023
Rosa Maria Fresneda Ugalde, 80, of Miami Beach, Florida, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her family. She was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1943, the treasured only child of the late Rosa Blanca Garcia and the late Jose Antonio Fresneda, and came to the United States alone at 17. Her first job was at the Fontainebleau Hotel and, at 21, she married the love of her life, Hector Ugalde. They made Miami Beach their home. Although an accountant by profession, Rosa Maria was an artist in spirit—spectacularly talented in costume and set designs. The happy beneficiaries of most of her work were her children and grandchildren.
Rosa Maria was an avid walker, reader, and film buff. She was a connoisseur of Flamenco (a legacy of her Andalusian father) and Shakespeare (able to recite on demand). Above all, she was a storyteller. No one told a story quite like she did. You did not have to read the book or watch the movie if she had told you the story—and, if you did, you would invariably be disappointed because she told it better. Rosa Maria, known all her life as “Cuqui,” will be endlessly missed by her husband, Hector; two children, Aileen (and husband Dean Colson) and Rosemarie; and three grandchildren, Gabriela, Hector, and Alexandra.
In lieu of flowers, the family would suggest donations to Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, 1279 79th Street Causeway, Miami, Florida 33138, an organization whose tireless work on behalf of local wildlife meant the world to Rosa Maria.
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