Herminio Cleto Orizondo

Dr. Herminio Orizondo, age 92, of Orlando, Florida passed away on Monday, September 20, 2021. Herminio was born on July 20, 1929 in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba. The sixth of seven children, he lived his early years on a farm, "La Rinconada," without electricity or access to traditional schooling, but surrounded by the love and support of his family and the natural beauty of the Cuban countryside. Dr. Orizondo was a life-long learner--first in a single-room schoolhouse his father built on the farm, then as a teenager leaving his home to continue his studies in the cities of Santi Spiritus and Cienfuegos. Repeatedly defying his humble upbringing, he ultimately studied medicine at the Universidad de la Habana and became a successful General Surgeon. After a decades-long career in private practice in Orlando, he spent the last years of his career at the Winter Garden Clinic, where he treated vulnerable and low-income populations. Throughout his life, he emphasized the importance of education with his children and grandchildren and surrounded himself with books about philosophy, history, and politics. For Dr. Orizondo, these topics were not just theoretical--they acutely shaped his life. A champion of liberty and democracy, he lived through the tyranny and oppression of not one but two dictatorial regimes. After leaving Cuba in 1964 and arriving in the United States in 1965, he never faltered in his dream of a democratic Cuba and was repeatedly recognized for his exhaustive efforts to see his dream become a reality. The only thing more important to Dr. Orizondo than education and his beloved Patria was his family. He married Maria del Carmen Botana on December 22, 1957.Together they raised three children: Antonio (Marilu), Carmen Maria (Michael), and Peter (Ana) in their new home in Orlando, Florida. He was a dedicated husband, father, and a devoted grandfather to Melissa, Jennifer, Victor, Daniel, Nicolas, Alex, and Sarah. He was a quietly brilliant man and will be missed by his children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, sister and the countless people he encountered through his medical practice, his advocacy, and among the Cuban exile community.

Herminio Cleto Orizondo

July 20, 1929 - September 20, 2021