RAFAEL ESTENIO GIMENEZ

GIMENEZ, RAFAEL ESTENIO MARIO (MIGUEL ANGEL) passed away on April 28, 2011, at Fair Haven Center nursing home in Miami Springs, FL. He was born on November 28, 1919, in San Francisco de Córdoba, Argentina. One of Argentina's top hairdressers and makeup artists in the 1940s, his skill and talent were quickly recognized, leading to his employment by one of Argentina’s leading major motion picture studios. While living and working in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his groundbreaking innovations and stunning styling techniques earned him numerous hairstyling and fashion awards. He established his personal brand, “Miguel Angel,” and was among the first hairstylists to introduce and master the razor cut. In 1951, following his professional success in Argentina, he emigrated to Cuba, where in 1952, he married Maria Josefa Piñón, a well-known Cuban singer, dancer, and stage actress. A graduate of the “Academia de Artes Dramáticas” in Havana, Cuba, Maria toured South America, where she eventually met Rafael, whom she later married. In Cuba, he opened the prestigious “Peluquería Miguel Angel” with locations in the exclusive Country section of Havana in Miramar, as well as in Varadero. His clientele included American, Cuban, and international celebrities, Cuban political families, and members of royalty from around the world who frequently traveled to Cuba. In 1961, as a result of the Cuban Revolution's repression, Rafael, his wife, and their two young sons emigrated from Cuba to Miami, where he established a new home and business for his family. In 1965, he and his wife, Maria, opened “Miguel Angel Coiffeurs” in Coral Gables, serving many of the same notable clientele he had in Cuba. Many of them, along with their families, remained his clients for the next 40 years.Mr. Giménez is survived by his wife, Maria, and three sons: Alejandro Raul (Alex) Giménez, Estenio Rafael (Ralph) Giménez, and Miguel Angel (Mike) Giménez, their wives, Kimberly Giménez and Patrice Giménez, and his five grandchildren: Adreanna Marie Giménez, Evan Giménez, Stephanie Marie Giménez, Alejandro Alberto Giménez, and Antonio Eduardo Giménez.A private memorial service was held on May 1, 2011, at Memorial Plan Funeral Home, 9800 Coral Way, Miami, FL 33165. Memorial donations can be made to Shriners Hospitals or The Salvation Army. View this guest book at www.MiamiHerald.com/obituaries.