Carmen D O'Neill

Carmen Rosa O’Neill, a celebrated artist and beloved mother, sister, aunt and friend, died peacefully on Sunday, June 12, 2022, at her Coral Gables home with family members by her side. She was 88 and had been battling cancer.

Born Carmen Rosa Delgado Quiles on February 26, 1934, in Cidra, Puerto Rico, she was the eldest daughter of Carmen Quiles and Felix Delgado. She attended the Instituto Comercial de Puerto Rico at the University of Puerto Rico, took some secretarial jobs, and in 1960 she married a young physician and the love of her life, Salvador O’Neill, M.D. They traveled to Miami for their honeymoon and decided to settle in the city as Dr. O’Neill pursued internships and later established a private practice in otolaryngology. Carmen Rosa and Salvi were together more than 60 years, until his death in January 2021.

Carmen Rosa’s life would take a major creative turn in 1970 when she bought a paint-by-numbers set as an activity to share with her young son. She discovered she was eager to do much more than fill in numbered sections on cardboard, so she took art lessons — and found she had a real talent and passion for painting. Initially she painted on porcelain, but she would eventually find her groove in using oil and acrylic-based paints to create stunningly beautiful works on canvases that were sometimes taller than she was.

Her art won acclaim and was featured in exhibitions in Miami; at the Savannah International Art Gallery in Georgia; in Washington, D.C., at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library; at the New York Art Expo; and in her hometown Cidra, where she was honored with a one-woman show and presented with a key to the city.

Flowers were her favorite and most frequent subjects. Carmen Rosa loved flowers, and loved painting them. During her later years, she had so many orchids growing on her terrace that you would always find one or more of them in bloom. In a 1999 interview with the English-language The San Juan Star, she said flowers gave her peace and tranquility.

“When I paint a flower, the flower speaks to me,” she said. “I use bright colors because I consider myself a lively person.”

Carmen was an exceptionally social person and made hundreds of friends through social and philanthropic organizations, exercise classes and casinos, where she had a fondness for the slots. She knew how to light up any room, and the energy, joy and love she exuded was infectious — and is already missed.

She is survived by her son, Cliff O’Neill, and his husband, Doug Whiteman; her sister, Maria Luisa Delgado Diaz; her brothers Virgilio and Hector Delgado; many nieces and nephews including Magui, Marta, Clarisse and Lourdes O’Neill, Marycelys and Felix “Sito” Delgado, and Roberto and Hector Zaid Diaz; and cousins including Mirta Ramos, Karen and J.B. Rosario, and Astrid Rodriguez.

Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to Doctors Without Borders at https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/

Memorial information:

A private celebration of life ceremony for the internment of the cremains will be held at Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Cemetery in Miami On Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 2:00pm inside the Mausoleum Chapel at the rear end of the property.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.riverofuneralhomemiami.com for the O'neill family.