Ostelinda Guncet

Ostelinda Guncet, affectionately known as Cuca, of Miami, Florida passed away on January 20, 2023 at the age of 94. She was born in 1928 to the late Julio Guncet Rojas and Rafaela Rodriguez Rodriguez in Matanzas, Cuba. She was predeceased in 1993 by Ramiro Medina Diaz, her husband of 37 years and the love of her life. She was also predeceased by her brother Julio Guncet. Ostelinda is survived by her and Ramiro’s daughter Lilia R. Peraza, son-in-law Alejandro E. Peraza, son Ramiro R. Medina, and his life partner Gary Spagoulakis. She is also survived by her grandson Marco A. Peraza and his wife Isabel R. Peraza.

Ostelinda was a school teacher in Cuba, having graduated from La Escuela Normal Para Maestros of Matanzas, Cuba in the 1940s. Like many Cubans of her generation, together with her husband and their two small children, she left her homeland in 1962, never to return. After living in Miami for 2 years and in Ponce, Puerto Rico for 15 years, she and her husband made their final move back to Miami in 1979.

Ostelinda was an accomplished amateur photographer and received many awards for her work. Photography took her all over the United States and to all corners of the world. She left behind a treasure trove of photographs, numbering in the tens of thousands, chronicling her life and travels. Always an independent spirit, she lived by herself and maintained her driver’s license for nearly 30 years after her husband’s death. She maintained an active social life into her 90s, regularly visiting friends and family and attending theater productions, concerts, and even live television broadcasts. She was particularly fond of Wheel of Fortune and The Price is Right.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, February 3, 2023 at Caballero Rivero Little Havana, 3344 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33135 from 5pm to midnight. The burial will take place at 12 noon at Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Cemetery at 3260 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33135. The funeral procession will leave the funeral home at 11:30 am.