Cecilia Goytisolo O'Reilly's Obituary
Cecilia Maria Goytisolo O’Reilly, 92, passed away peacefully July 7, 2023 at her home in Coral Gables, Florida, surrounded by her children, Patrick Goytisolo O’Reilly of Denver, Colorado and Cecilia (Ceci) Goytisolo O’Reilly, of Coral Gables, Florida.
She was born in Vedado, Havana, Cuba, to Maria de los Dolores (Lolita) Goytisolo y Recio (née Recio y Heymann) and Agustín Alejo Goytisolo y Fowler. The youngest of four (Dolores (Loló), Agustin, Jorge and Cecilia), she attended the Merici Academy and graduated in 1948, studying one year in Ottawa, Canada.
Cecilia was an active member of the Havana Yacht Club, where she was coxswain for the rowing team. She traveled with family through Europe, igniting a passion for travel. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in French Language from the University of Havana in 1956 and began working as a translator and cataloguer at the Napoleonic Museum (then known as the Museo Julio Lobo).
In 1960 Cecilia left Cuba for the United States with her mother, making Coral Gables home, and working at a local insurance company for two years before moving to northern Virginia with her mother to be closer to her siblings. She began working at the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1962 in the office of the Executive Secretariat for Economic and Social Affairs and later in the Human Resources department. She traveled throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, an aspect of her work which she enjoyed immensely during her 27 years with the OAS.
She obtained an M.S. in Linguistics from Georgetown University in 1969, and in 1972, Cecilia married Hugh Thomas O’Reilly in 1972, making Falls Church, Virginia their home. The following year she gave birth to Patrick, and nearly two years later, to Ceci. She enjoyed developing her vast Virginia garden, cultivating flowers, vegetables, fruits, and a variety of trees and hedges. She took pleasure hosting gatherings of family and friends at their home, and in planning family vacations to ski and to Key Biscayne.
After vacationing in Key Biscayne during Summers, Cecilia and Hugh bought a home on Key Biscayne in 1979, relocating the family there in 1989. Soon after, Cecilia began a second career in Real Estate part-time. There she was an active member of the Merici Academy Alumni Association (serving as its president), Key Biscayne Republican Women’s Club, Key Biscayne Yacht Club, Women’s Auxiliary of the American Legion, and Association of Retired Persons of the OAS. Cecilia also volunteered by preparing meals for Camillus House with St. Agnes, where she and Hugh, and the family, were regular parishioners. She continued to feed her passion for travel later in life – visiting Andorra, Spain, Prague, Austria, Hungary, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Idaho, Chicago, New York, California, Virginia, West Virginia, Alaska, and the Dominican Republic.
Years after the passing of her beloved husband Hugh in 2012, Cecilia moved to Coral Gables in 2018 to be closer to family, becoming a parishioner of Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables.
Cecilia lived a long and full life, with love for family and friends (and her many pets), a deep faith, a zeal for adventure, and a warmth and empathy for others. Those she leaves behind will miss her dearly, but her spirit, kindness and contagious smile will live on in their hearts.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to Camillus House: https://camillushouseinc-bloom.kindful.com.
Condolences to: Ceci O’Reilly ([email protected]) and Patrick O’Reilly ([email protected]).
Catholic Mass in memory of Cecilia will be celebrated Friday, August 11, 2023 at 10:00am ET at St. Augustine Church (1400 Miller Rd, Coral Gables, FL 33146).
Following Mass, inurnment will take place at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery (11411 NW 25th St., Doral, FL 33172).
We welcome all family, friends and those who knew Cecilia to attend.
Those unable to travel to Coral Gables for the Mass may attend virtually via St. Augustine’s private link for this service:
https://boxcast.tv/view/funeral-mass-of-the-resurrection-mjymm5wzio3ndcs5zedr?_gl=1*oiw11s*_ga*MTM4NTYyNDk3OS4xNjg3OTAwODkw*_ga_PXBBF7HVWQ*MTY5MDkxNzA0NS41LjEuMTY5MDkxNzExOC4wLjAuMA
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