Florencia Perez Conde Pacho

Florencia Pacho passed away on the evening of July 4, 2019. She was born Florencia Perez Conde in Havana, Cuba, to her parents, Benigna and Manolo. Due to prolonged illness as a child she did not attend school until age nine. She learned to read at home, sitting on her mother’s lap. She knew after a lengthy stay in a hospital ward for girls that she wanted to study medicine, and never waivered. Despite her parent’s protests, she attended medical school and graduated from the University of Havana. She did it whole heartedly and without fuss, as was always her way. Florencia met and fell in love with fellow medical student Marcelino Pacho, and so began her family, marrying and moving to Detroit, Michigan. She had many roles, as Mom, Tia Flora, Dr. Perez, and Abuelita. She was everything to her husband and partner, with whom she practiced medicine full-time in their small clinic in Centerline, Michigan, raised five children, and helped guide our extended family to begin their own journeys in this country. She did it all selflessly, in sickness and in health. She drew strength from her Catholic faith, in which she was quiet and prayerful. She documented her family’s life and travel in home movies and handwritten journals, was a prolific artist in fine needlework and painting, and painted up until just few weeks before her passing. Florencia was a model of dedication to family, unconditional love, and lifelong learning. She was preceded in death by her husband, Marcelino Pacho, and is survived by her children, Marcia Pacho, Lourdes Page and husband Paul Page, Jorge Pacho and wife Donna Pacho, Cristina Pacho and husband Michael Magri,  Gisela Pacho and husband Jorge Aguero Murgas; her grandchildren, Rachel Adams, Rebecca Johnson, Lucas Johnson, Mark Pacho, Lauren Pacho, Sara Epperly, Andrew Page, Cristina Hurley, and Jorge Aguero; great granddaughters Alice Epperly, Pearl Epperly, and Harriet Epperly. Charitable donations in her honor may be made to Miriam’s House, 409 Magnolia St., Lynchburg, VA 24503 and The Studio School, 2137 Colonial Ave., SW, Roanoke, VA 24015.