Guillermo Mota

1924 - 2016

MOTA, GUILLERMO Guillermo Humberto Mota passed away Friday, January 8th at the age of 91. Born in La Habana Vieja on December 12th, 1924, Guillermo is predeceased by his daughter Yolanda S. Mota. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Yolanda U. Mota, daughter Carmen Mota (Ed Irons) and grandchildren, Arya and Aramis Khosravi and Emma Irons. The only child of Jose Mota and Carmen Castro, he grew up next to the famous Malecon with a view of the harbor. His father was a founding member of the Casino Espa¤ol and Guillermo was the first child member at 12 years old! As a young man, he attended la Universidad de la Habana where he studied law. Athletic all his life, Guillermo was a great swimmer but his specialty was diving. He participated in both national and international competitions. As an adult, he was the Women's swim coach at Miramar Country Club. He married Yolanda Ugalde in 1953 and had two daughters, Yolanda and Carmen. After Batista's departure and Castro's government take-over, Guillermo decided to leave Cuba. The family left Havana March 3rd, 1961 on a Cubana de Aviaci¢n flight. The family resided seven years in Puerto Rico, where Guillermo worked at Radio Uno. They lived near San Juan, in Hato Rey and then later, Rio Piedras. In 1968, they moved to Miami. Guillermo worked at the local radio stations owned by Susquehanna Broadcasting. With two AM and two FM radios, Susquehanna became the Spanish-language broadcasting powerhouse in South Florida. Before retiring in 1989, Guillermo was eventually promoted to Local Sales Manager and then General Sales Manager. During retirement, Guillermo kept busy, exercising, swimming laps at the Big Five Club, and boxing at the local gym. And avid reader, he loved both Gabriel Garcia Marquez novels and the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. He enjoyed travel, fine wine and good food, but most of all he enjoyed the company of his family, particularly his three grandchildren. The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to Vitas Hospice Team 138: Pedro, Donatus, Zenia, Erica and everyone involved in making Guillermo's final days peaceful and comfortable. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated Friday, January 15th at 11am at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church.