Teresita Santaballa Vignale

August 21, 1935 to Marina Irmina Hernández and José Rafael Santaballa in Havana, Cuba. She attended el Colegio de las Dominicas Francesa (School of the French Dominicans) for elementary and high school and then la Universidad de La Habana (University of Havana), where she studied architecture and design. She left Cuba in 1961, shortly after marrying Carlos Deupi, a fellow architecture student. The couple settled in Washington, D.C., where they started a new life and raised their family, sons Carlos José Deupi (1963-2017) and Victor Luis Deupi (b. 1964). In 1963, at a time when architecture was still a male-dominated field, Teresita founded her own interior design business, Deupi Space Designers. In 1973, Carlos Deupi, Sr. joined the practice, which, rebranded as Deupi & Associates, won numerous architectural and interior design awards before closing in 1994. Endowed with an entrepreneurial spirit, extraordinary vision, and exceptional design sensibility, Teresita was not only the pioneering founder of Deupi & Associates but also its principal designer. In 1994, she married Horacio Jorge Vignale with whom she enjoyed the remainder of her life, first in Northern Virginia, and later in Miami, Florida, where she passed away on April 7, 2025. The couple shared a passion for European travel, fine dining, elegant design, and all things Italian. Deeply loved by many, Teresita is survived by her devoted husband, Horacio; son, Victor Deupi (Jill Deupi); grandchildren, Isabella Deupi, Carlos Felipe Deupi, Anna Sofia Deupi, Carolina Deupi, Tristan Deupi; and brother José Santaballa (Ralia Elena Mora). She will be remembered for her brilliance, her elegance, and her warm smile, which Teresita shared so generously with everyone.