Obituary of Carmen B. Pacheco

In Loving Memory of Carmen B. Pacheco March 11, 1925 – August 11, 2024. Carmen Barrio de Pacheco, of Hialeah, passed away peacefully on August 11, 2024. She was 99. Carmen was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Martin “Alfredo” Pacheco, and her brothers, Mayo and Gustavo, and sisters, Rosa and Clara. Known as “Mami” to her daughter (Carmen Rosa Bennett), three grandchildren (Joshua, Erin, and Mary) and six great-grandchildren (Daniel and William; Matthew and Benjamin; and Harrison and Madeline), Carmen was born in San Ignacio, Cuba in 1925 about halfway between Havana and Matanzas, in the famed sugarcane fields of Cuba. There she and her husband owned a store, had a horse named “Panetella,” and lived in the rolling hills overlooking the ocean and lived close to extended family where she raised her daughter. After fleeing the communist regime in January 1971, Carmen and her family settled in Hialeah, Florida with her family and began a new life and sought new opportunity. Carmen became a U.S. citizen and was proud of her new American identity. In the U.S., she enjoyed her work as a quality control inspector at the Coach leather manufacturing factory in Hialeah until she retired in 1991. Her greatest joy, especially in retirement, was caring for her three grandchildren, often treating them to traditional Cuban cuisine and pastries. In the early 1990s, when her daughter was working on an advanced degree in the evenings after work, Carmen would often spend two-to-three days per week with her grandchildren to help with the childcare; the grandchildren were always excited when “Mami” came to visit. In her free time, she loved watching baseball games on TV and practicing her self-taught English lessons. Carmen’s selfless nature was not limited to her family; she always strove to build a sense of community. For example, when she lived in Hialeah, she once called a handyman to do some electrical work; when the handyman left, she noted with a smile that she taught that 60-something year old man how to read when he was a child in Cuba! Despite the sudden passing of her father at a young age and, later, having to flee her homeland for a new country, Carmen approached the many challenges life presented her with the same stoic resolve and determination that she would pass along to her family. Carmen is survived by her daughter, three grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and nephews and a niece and their children. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. In Repose Friday August 16, 2024 from 10:00 A.M. - 10:30 A.M. at the Joseph A. Scarano Pines Memorial Chape, Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 A.M. at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church, burial to follow at 1 P.M. at Forest Lawn South Cemetery, Davie, Florida. Please keep the Pacheco family in your thoughts and prayers. The Joseph A. Scarano Pines Memorial Chapel is Honored to assist the Pacheco family with the arrangements.