Modesto Gutierrez

Modesto was born to father Modesto Gutierrez and mother Victoria Garcia on June 13th, 1935 in Santa Clara, Cuba. As a child, he grew up between Oriente, Las Villas, and La Habana, Cuba– and was a proud alumnus of Belen Jesuit School, admiring and embodying the principles of a Jesuit lifestyle his entire life. After immigrating to the United States with his family in 1968, he pursued an engineering degree at the University of South Florida, graduating in 1975.

A staunch adversary of communism, Modesto was a political prisoner in Cuba for 5 years before his emigration. He worked as a Civil Engineer with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the state department, with work taking him Saudi Arabia, Belize, Thailand, and Washington DC in his lifetime. In 1992, he became a Math professor and tutor at Lyndsey Hopkins and Miami Dade College, where he worked until his retirement in 2015.

Modesto married his wife Norgelis Gutierrez on August 11th, 1963. He was 24 when they met, and they were married for 57 happy years. Modesto is survived by his wife, Norgelis, his children Modesto, Francisco, Monica, and Raisa, his children-in-law Zoila, Jennifer, Keran, and JC, his grandchildren Modesto, Nicholas, Zachary, Sebastian, Adrian, and Ria, and many family and friends who loved him and will miss him dearly.

Modesto’s favorite things to do included attending Latin Mass, watching and sharing classic movies with loved ones, walking to Tropical Park daily, and eating pastelitos whenever he had the opportunity. He could often be found on Sundays eating at El Floridita seafood restaurant, or La Carreta on the corner. He had a lifelong love of travel, however loved no place on earth more than Rome, Italy. A devout Catholic, Modesto made many pilgrimages to the Vatican in his lifetime. He also ardently loved cows and horses.

A viewing will be safely held to honor Modesto’s life, memory, and legacy this Wednesday, January 27th at 6pm at Caballero Rivero Westchester Funeral Home, followed by a funeral service Thursday, January 28th at 11am at St. Brendan Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Modesto’s memory to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, or the Catholic charity of your choice.