April 16, 1931 – March 28, 2023
Maria “Mariita” Julia Viota Castellanos was born on April 16, 1931 in Colon, Matanzas, Cuba. She was the beloved and respected matriarch to a family best known for its four generations of physicians. Her husband, the late Agustín “Tino” Castellanos, MD, was a professor of medicine, medical school faculty, and director of clinical electrophysiology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine from 1962-2011, who, among many contributions to medicine and society, developed the VVI pacemaker and AV sequential pacemaker. Tino’s accomplishments would not have been possible without Mariita. She made her mark on this world being the steady source of support and encouragement to her husband and their four children, seven grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her family will remember her always with love and reverence.
Mariita was memorable, charismatic, a friend to many – from staff at restaurants she frequented, to an international community of cardiologists, and especially within the Cuban community in Miami. She was elegant, worldly, witty, and sharp, completing a New York Times crossword puzzle nearly every day of her adult life. There were few things she enjoyed more than dining out with her husband, children, grandchildren, and closest friends. She was thoughtful and detailed, generously celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and reliably acknowledged other significant dates for family and her vast network of friends. She was a fiercely loyal friend, daughter, sister, aunt, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Mariita was a woman with profound Catholic faith, who prayed the rosary on a daily basis.
Mariita adored, and was adored by, her seven grandchildren – who called her “Grandmama” or “Granmama” – and she kept her home stocked with personalized items for each one, even as they grew into adults, developed careers, married, and had kids of their own. She is regarded by her grandchildren as the central member of the family, the motivation behind countless family gatherings, a tradition they intend to carry on to honor her.
Mariita spent her final days and years delighting in her growing family. She passed away peacefully at home on March 28, 2023, at the age of 91. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Agustín “Tino” Castellanos; parents, Gloria Mier Viota and Manuel Viota Vior; and brother, Manuel Viota Mier. Her memory will be cherished by her children, Lina Castellanos, Dr. Agustín M. and Elizabeth “Bessy” Castellanos, Dr. Daniel and Virginia “Ginny” Castellanos, Susana “Susie” Castellanos and William “Bill” Jones; grandchildren, Francisco Javier “Frankie” and Andrea Varona, Natalie Castellanos and Felipe Slavik, Agustín E. “Gussy” and Jennifer Castellanos, Lauren Varona and Gilles Doppagne, Drs. Daniel Alexander Castellanos and Suellen Moli Yin, Philip Agustín Varona, Mia Veronica Castellanos; and her five great-grandchildren. XOXO.
Viewing:
April 8, 2023, 10 am-2 pm
Caballero Rivero Westchester Funeral Home
8200 Bird Rd. Miami, FL 33155
Mass:
April 10, 2023, 10 am
St. Agatha Catholic Church
1111 SW 107th Ave, Miami, FL 33174
Interment: immediately following the mass
In lieu of flowers, the family requests masses be dedicated in her name.
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