Emilio Fernandez's Obituary
Emilio Fernandez was born to Carlos Emilio Fernandez and Olga Barreda on August 23, 1948, in Havana, Cuba. He live a comfortable and happy life with the influence of his beloved grandfather and his parents, until he left in 1961 at the age of 13, during the Cuban Exile following the Revolution.After a short stay in a Catholic refugee camp in Miami, Florida, he moved to Dover, New Jersey, where he learned to speak English and graduated from high school. He married Marissa Perez soon after, and had twin daughters, Mitzi and Maritza. He continued his education in accounting while working for Westinghouse.In 1972, Emilio and his family moved to Garland, Texas, to be close to his mother and other family members. During this time, he proudly became an American citizen. He made many lifelong friends and raised his daughters here. He worked for Prophecy for many years, built a career in the apparel industry, and opened a restaurant called Villa Margarita.In 1991, he fell in love and married Kathy Dearing. They had a son, Daniel, and have lived in Dallas, Texas, for 26 years. During this time he worked for Eddie Haggar, Ltd and Zale Corporation as director of logistics and shipping. He retired from Atlas Copco in 2011, and has since focused his life around his family, enjoying his grandchildren, traveling, and cheering for his favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys.Emilio went to be with our Lord in Heaven on November 30, 2017, after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, Kathy Fernandez, his children, Mitzi Spitzer (husband Matt) of Tacoma, WA, Maritza Windsor (husband Casey) of Austin, TX, Daniel Fernandez, Allison Howard and Christopher Howard of Dallas, TX, his brother Carlos Fernandez (wife Elena) of Miami, FL, his sister Tina Mendez (husband Dago) of Dallas, and his step-mother Juana Fernandez of Miami. He has nine grandchildren: Nicholas, Jack, Marina, Benjamin, and Sam Spitzer, Jacob, Brendan, and Taylor Windsor, and Pharaoh Howard-Jones.A Memorial service will be held at 2:00 P.M., Tuesday, December 5, at the Lake Highlands United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation for this Christmas season. ToysForTots.org/donate
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