Xavier F Echanique

Xavier F Echanique, 64, of Miami and Port Charlotte, passed away on 12/29/2015 at Memorial Regional Hospital, Hollywood, Florida. Xavier was born to Guillermo and Rosa Echanique in Quito, Ecuador on 2/6/1951. He immigrated with his family in 1961 to Staten Island, NY, where he spent his childhood and teenage years. Xavier graduated from Curtis HS in 1969. In 1970, he graduated as an Air Conditioning Technician from APEX Technical School. In 1970, he moved to North Carolina and eventually to Florida, by way of Ohio, in 1981. Settling in Miami, he worked as an instrumentation technician at Turkey Point Nuclear Plant for 27 years, retiring in 2014. Xavier is preceded in death by both his parents and his sister Cecilia de Barreiro. He's survived by his first spouse Amparo Sabando, who shared his life for 21 years, two daughters, Melanie and Deanna; brother Guillermo and sister Pilar Serrano; cousin Frankie Echanique; second cousin Jaqueline Viteri; and others. Xavier was the embodiment of goodness, generosity, and kindness. At 9 years old he took his Catholic confirmation name from St. Francis of Assisi and sought to emulate him. At age 28, he became a Baha'i and spent his adult life trying to perfect his spirit through the living practices and beliefs of that religion. Anyone who met him was affected by his generosity, guileless good will, and devotion to helping others less fortunate than him. His good humor and joviality was legendary and his love was manifested every day in myriad ways. His parting leaves an enormous emptiness in our lives. He was buried according to the Baha'i practices on January 2, 2016. Xavier's family wishes to extend their appreciation to the staff of the 202 Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Regional Hospital, Hollywood, FL. and to Vitas Hospice Care. Their good will and professionalism eased the very difficult moments we experienced.