Maria Herminia La Rosa Maribona July 5, 1936 - March 23, 2022
Coral Gables, Florida - Maria Herminia La Rosa Maribona July 5, 1936 – March 23, 2022, Coral Gables, Florida. Maria Maribona, 85, passed away on March 23, 2022 in an accident in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is survived by her sisters Elena Sariol, Adriana Cora, Beatriz La Rosa, and Alina La Rosa and her brother, Pablo La Rosa; her three sons, Rick (Patti) Maribona, Javier (Lillian) Maribona, and Carlos (Janice) Maribona; and her eight grandchildren, Lauren, Erika, Aidan, Nicole, Kristina, Katelyn, Adriana and Carlos Andres. She is preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Ricardo Maribona and her parents, Pablo and Herminia Alvarez de La Rosa.
Maria was born in Havana, Cuba and came to the United States on the day she married her husband, Dr. Ricardo Maribona. While her husband finished medical school, the family lived in Colorado, Spain, Kansas, Texas and eventually settled in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1972. Maria was a tremendous wife and mother. In 1987, the family moved to Miami, Florida where Maria worked for the Rosenstiel School of Marine Science, University of Miami and The Voices for Children Foundation.
Maria was a dedicated volunteer at La Liga Contra El Cancer and The Downs Syndrome Association of Miami.
Maria was a loving and dedicated grandmother and her family was the most important part of her life. Her love and pride for her sons and their families was steadfast and true. She gave without expectations and had a deep faith in God. She was a beautiful, vibrant, kind, loving, strong, and honest woman and always put the needs of others before herself. She will be dearly missed by the entire family.
Maria spent the last twenty years of her life passionately involved in Argentine Tango. She had accumulated over 30,000 “tandas” (dances) and had the respect and admiration of many tango instructors and dancers all over the world. She supported the tango community tirelessly throughout the pandemic and gained their eternal love and respect. She was known as the Queen of Tango in Miami. Prior to her death, she was dancing the tango that she loved so dearly, in the place that she loved, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A mass will be held in her honor at Saint Augustine Catholic Church, 1400 Miller Road, Coral Gables, Florida on Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 1:30 pm. A celebration of life will follow from 3:00-6:00pm at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 270 Catalonia Ave., Coral Gables, Florida.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:
Liga Contra El Cancer – ligacontraelcancer.org
The Down Syndrome Association of Miami – dsaom. org