Demetrio Perez Jr.

1945 - 2023

Demetrio Perez, Jr.
August 7, 1945 - March 10, 2023
Miami, Florida - Demetrio Perez, Jr., a lifelong educator, public servant and journalist who founded Lincoln-Marti schools and served as a Miami city commissioner and Miami-Dade School Board member, passed away March 10, 2023. He was 77.
Demetrio was born in Matanzas, Cuba, and at age 16 migrated alone to Miami as part of Operation Pedro Pan, which transported thousands of Cuban children to the United States after Fidel Castro's takeover. He was reunited with his parents two years later.
He earned a bachelor's degree. in education and a master's degree in human resources with a specialization in exceptional children, and in 1968 established the first Lincoln-Marti school in Miami. Today, Lincoln-Marti operates 46 schools and childcare centers, employs more than 500 people, and serves 6,500 students with not just a strong education but meals, transportation and schedules that are designed for working parents.
Demetrio spent his life in service to our community, serving as a Miami city commissioner and as a Miami-Dade County School Board member. In his time on the school board, he successfully pursued an ambitious agenda including mandatory school uniforms, creating a closed lunch policy in high schools, air-conditioning public school buses and adding to the State of Florida's U.S. History curriculum a requirement that it include the achievements of Hispanics in the United States.
He also directed the annual Jose Marti Parade in Miami, which brought together children from public and private schools to honor the legacy of Cuban patriot Jose Marti.
In addition to his work as an educator and public servant, Demetrio was a journalist who founded LIBRE, a weekly newspaper, in 1966, to serve the Miami Hispanic community. And for more than 30 years, he hosted a weekly radio talk show on Radio Mambí, where he produced daily inspirational radio commentaries that were also shared with thousands of email subscribers.
Survivors include his son, Demetrio J. Perez, Esq. and his wife Susan; grandchildren, Sofia Perez, Demetrio "DJ" Perez and Nicolas Perez; and his companion, Maria C. Rodriguez.
A public viewing will be held between 6 and 11 p.m. on Friday, March 17th at Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Westchester funeral home, 8200 Bird Road, Miami, Florida 33155. The funeral mass will take place at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 18th, at Trinity Cathedral, 464 NE 16th Street, Miami, Florida 33132. Burial to follow at Woodlawn Park Cemetery, 3260 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida 33135.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lincoln-Marti Community Agency., Inc., to support its mission to provide high quality educational services to underserved populations:www.lincolnmarti.com/donate