Vitalia Nancy Bequer

She was born in Oriente, Cuba, on April 26, 1924, and was the youngest of the 7 Cespedes siblings, Miguel, Manuel, Jose Angel, Victoria, Virginia and Virtudes. She grew up in the beautiful town of Manzanillo. There she met her one and only love, Jesus Napoleon Bequer. They wed and shared a loving marriage for over 72 years. He passed in 2018.

They lived an idyllic life until the Cuban Revolution forced them from their homeland in search of freedom to their beloved adopted country of America. They settled in Tampa, and began a new life with their three children. Together, they started two business, Olivia Fashions and Hispano-American Distributors, a successful business that provided for them and served the needs of the community for over 30 years. Vitalia had a generous and philanthropic heart that led her to help start the Club 15, a group of 15 immigrant women who set out to help those in need and did so for nearly 50 years. The Club 15 became a non-profit in 1970, and grew to over 100 members. They fundraised for area charities that helped new mothers, families suffering from hunger, the pediatric cancer community, and offered two yearly scholarships for local Latinos to attend USF. She served as president of Club 15, and received recognition from the organization as Mother of the Year and Grandmother of the Year, along with a special award for being an original founding member. Vitalia was known as a poet and as a patriot of the two countries she loved.

She is survived by her wonderful children, Dr. Napoleon Bequer (Glenna), Dr. Edward Becker (Maria), and her best friend and daughter, Olivia Bequer Rodriguez, married to Dr. Cres Rodriguez, who became her son, not just her son-in-law and her physician. She is also survived by her grandchildren, JB, Haydee, Cres, Byron, Bobby, Alexandra, Brenton and Bianca, and great grandchildren, Cristina, Adam, Carlos, Christian, Edward and Brooks.

A funeral mass will be held on Friday, August 9, 2024, at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, 12708 N. Dale Mary Hwy., at 2:00pm. A private interment will follow at Myrtle Hill Memorial Park.