Leonardo, at 106, was asked one day what the secret to a long life was. He said, “Paciencia y tranquilidad!” (patience and tranquility), which made his son Leo laugh, because we all knew he had neither.

Admittedly, lacking those two qualities made him a strong man who followed his convictions. There was no question in his mind that he was always right. No matter what!

He was raised in a very strict family where everyone was afraid of upsetting their dad. A family of five kids, Leonardo was the firstborn of four brothers, and the oldest of them all. His sister was the youngest and the only girl in the family. Stories were told that he had it easy compared to his siblings because, admittedly, he was the “El Capataz.” But life would become tough.

He married his wife, Ana, and moved to another country. Their first son, Eduardo, was born in New York in 1952. After a few years there, he was asked to move back to Cuba by his father to help run the family farm.

He worked hard for many years, created a beautiful and prosperous dairy farm, and built a beautiful country home in Mogote, Cuba. There, his second son, Leonardo, and third son, Nicolas, were born.

But it would all change in 1959.

Fidel Castro and his empty promises ended the life he had created. In 1963, his beloved farm and home were taken away from him by the new communist regime that would rule Cuba for decades. He and his family were forced to move to Contramaestre and start anew.

He applied to leave Cuba on the Freedom Flights, and that also came with difficult challenges. They were turned around the first time at the airport because those flights were for Cubans, and his oldest son was a U.S. citizen.

Turned away again, he returned to Contramaestre and was sent to cut sugar cane in the fields as a punishment for not agreeing with the Castro communist regime. His oldest son was also sent to work in the camps and in the fields.

They endured tremendous hardship, and finally, in 1969, they were able to leave through Mexico and then come to the United States.

Again, he started from scratch in New York. And they had a very successful life there, each working two and three jobs and eventually attaining successful business ownership.

When he retired, he moved to Florida, where he yearned to plant mango trees and enjoy the ownership of land again and the warm weather.

He lost his wife to Alzheimer’s a few years ago. He cared for her at home until her death in 2023 at the age of 99.

He shared many days enjoying lunch with his sister, who is 98. They enjoyed each other’s company and ignored each other when they had enough.

He was always telling us stories of the Macias family from many years ago in Cuba. He had the memory of a 20-year-old until his passing at 106. He remembered names, dates, birthdays, and everything in between.

He left us on his own terms and never changed his mind on his decisions.

He had three sons, six grandkids, and ten great-grandkids.

We will miss his love, caring, arguments, and his defiant character! We will miss the patriarch of our family!

May he be reunited with his Ana, and may his soul rest in peace.