Eni Guido Sanchez's Obituary
SANCHEZ, ENI GUIDO SR. 95, beloved husband of 64 years, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, contractor and real estate entrepreneur, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Thanksgiving Day, his adopted country’s National Day of Gratitude, culminating a life full of hard work, devotion to family, and creation of various business opportunities.
As one of six children, Eni was born on July 11, 1928, near Holguin, Oriente, Cuba, to parents Juan Eustaquio Sanchez and Maria Josefa Enamorado. He grew up poor in the small town of Cacocum, where a large sugar mill was located. At just 8 years old, after the untimely accidental death of his father, Eni gained the affection of the Jewett family, a prominent American family that lived in the area who ran a sawmill, a large ranch and sugar cane plantation near Holguin. He lived there on and off for several years, helping the family manage their sprawling property, including tending to their stable of horses, which he loved to do. The Jewett's treated Eni like an adopted son, always showing charity and kindness to him. Although he only attended elementary school, Eni was a quick study and became adept at using tools and machinery at the ranch.
As a young adult, his mother and siblings moved to Havana to pursue economic opportunities. Eni was hired at a local aluminum factory where he showed his skill at working with his hands and tools, and quickly rose up the ranks. In his early twenties, he began wooing Carmen “Carmita” Godinez, the daughter of the family that lived across the street. Carmita and Eni enjoyed chaperoned walks in the park, local “carnivales” and drives around the countryside. During this time, Eni made a few trips to Florida and New York and was amazed at the American way of life of the 1950’s. Meanwhile, with the growing storm clouds of Fidel Castro’s revolution serving as a backdrop, Eni and Carmita fell in love and married on August 1, 1959, eight months after Fidel ousted Batista in Havana. Just a few days after the wedding, in the middle of the night, a squad of Castro’s evil military regime who were given a false report, broke into the young couple’s apartment. They tore the apartment upside down looking for counter-revolutionary materials but found nothing. Still, they illegally arrested Eni, taking him away to a secret location on the other side of the island. Carmita was beside herself with fear as she didn’t know if she would ever see him again. Several days later, a man admitting to trying to save his own skin, revealed that Eni was completely innocent, and he was eventually released and reunited with Carmita. There was no doubt though that it was time to leave the island, and the sooner, the better.
They applied for visas, which required a full inventory of their assets and household belongings. While they waited for their visas to be approved, God blessed them with two daughters, Careny and Carmeney. A couple of years later, their visas were approved.
through the Spanish embassy and the young family prepared for their day to leave the island. Just before they left, a Castro communist government official came and checked the contents of their home once again before they were allowed to leave to the airport. He told them that if anything was missing, they would not be going anywhere. The inventory revealed everything was there, except for two missing forks. He told them nobody would be going anywhere. Panicked, they signaled to a neighbor who quickly took two forks from their own kitchen and secretly handed them to Carmita. She presented the two forks in her hand and the official begrudgingly allowed them to leave for the airport.
It was 1965, and they found themselves in Madrid, with nothing but the clothes on their back. The Spanish government provided them a small one-room apartment for the family, and they began their new life with the hopes to eventually come to America. Eni worked multiple jobs while Carmita took care of the girls. After 18 months, their dreams of coming to America were finally realized when they flew to New York where Carmita’s brother and mother already lived. Eni moved the family soon after to Miami on the promise of a growing and vibrant Cuban American community and work with a local glass and aluminum company, Flamingo Glass. Eni rose the ranks again and became a lead installer and fabricator.
They saved their money and eventually purchased a home in Hialeah. Soon after, they were blessed with two more children, their 3rd daughter Denise, and a son, Eny Jr. He and his family attended St. Benedict Catholic Church. When he finally saved up enough money, Eni opened his own glass company, American Glass & Mirror out of a small warehouse in Hialeah, FL. They fabricated glass and aluminum storefronts for shopping centers and installed glass railings and mirrored walls to high end homes including several local celebrities. Carmen worked in the office managing the finances while Eni built the company up to have more than 20 employees. The company’s growth required them to move to a larger warehouse a few blocks away where they pursued larger multi-story office building contracts. The company also had contracts in the Caribbean, Panama and Venezuela. Eni continued to save and invest, creating a second company Ceny Corporation in 1987 for his real estate investments. He purchased a vacation property on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, a 32-unit apartment building in Miami Springs and a nursery farm in Southwest Ranches.
Eni was always extremely generous to his family and friends, providing funds to help family members come to the US, and paying for Florida Prepaid tuition plans for all his grandchildren to attend college. Eni always urged his family to pursue higher education, but also believed anyone can succeed through hard work, steady determination and grit. In the 2000’s, Eni retired from his glazing contractor business.
to focus on his real estate investments and moved to a home on a large lake in Pembroke Pines, FL. He enjoyed the life he built with his wife together. Eni frequently urged his family and friends to “work hard for your money, so that one day, your money can work hard for you”. He was famously a man of few words, but when he had something to say, everyone paid attention. He was preceded in death by his siblings, Ivo, Ruy, Ina and Ian. He is survived by his sister Puchy, his loving wife Carmen; his 4 children, 10 grandchildren Robert, Kristina, William, Catherine, Andrew, Jacqueline, Jessica, Daniel, Adrian and Christian, and 5 great-grandchildren Noelle, Trent, Kirra, Cali and Henry who affectionately called him “Abuelo Eni” and numerous beloved nieces, nephews and cousins. Eni was fervently patriotic towards both Cuba and the United States. He loved both countries equally. His legacy of family values, hard work, patriotism and the belief in the promise of tomorrow will live on in everyone he knew and loved. He will be sorely missed and happily remembered for many decades to come.
A visitation service will be held on Tuesday, November 28th, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at Memorial Plan San Jose Funeral Home, at 250 East Fourth Avenue, Hialeah, Florida, 33010. A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, November 29th at 9:30 a.m. at Saint John the Apostle Catholic Church located at 475 East 4th Street, Hialeah, FL 33010. Interment to follow at Vista Memorial Gardens Cemetery located at14200 NW 57th Avenue, Miami Lakes, FL.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a tax-deductible contribution in Eni’s memory to the Mike Rowe Works Foundation for the benefit of their Work Ethic Scholarship Program, helping people get trained in high demand skills in trades like construction.
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