Eugenio Erquiaga

Erquiaga, Eugenio
December 18, 1927 - November 22, 2016
Eugenio "Pocholo" Erquiaga of Osprey, Florida, died on November 22, 2016 at the age of 88.
He was born on December 18, 1927 in Havana, Cuba to Eugenio Erquiaga, a merchant ship captain, and Maria Elvira Urquia, a dentist. He attended the Colegio de La Salle and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Havana. He considered a vocation to the priesthood with the Jesuits, studying in London, Barcelona and Innsbruck before returning to Cuba and marrying his wife of 53 years, Ana.
At the age of 40 he left the government oppression of Cuba with his wife and two young children. He lived for a year in Madrid then settled in Miami like so many other exiles seeking freedom.
A few days after arriving in the US, he landed his first job on the feast day of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre, the patroness of Cuba. He worked at several engineering firms before founding his own company, E&E Consulting Engineers in Fort Lauderdale. He was able to provide for his family and for the education of his children.
Pocholo enjoyed music and was able to play the piano and harpsichord until late in life. He loved books and kept a stack of his favorites on the nightstand. He traveled extensively and was able to return to Cuba when St. John Paul II visited.
He is survived by his wife, Ana; his son, Eugenio (Victoria) of Sarasota; his daughter, Claudia Miquelon of Winnetka, Illinois; his ten grandchildren: Blake, Maria, Carlos, Cristina, Elias, Gabriel, Sofia and Leo Erquiaga and Isabella and Nicholas Miquelon; his sister, Josefina "Mana" Fraga of Miami; and a nephew, multiple nieces, and grand-nieces and nephews.
The sacrifices he, like so many of his generation, made for his family will not be forgotten.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, December 3, 2016 at 11:30 am at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, Florida. Entombment will follow at Venice Memorial Gardens. Toale Brothers Funeral Homes, Ewing Chapel is in charge of arrangements.