At its May 13 regular meeting, the Miami Lakes Town Council honored longtime resident Gregoria Barbete, who is 104 years-old, for her many years of contributions to the town in social events and community services.
Barbete was born in the small town of San Antonio de Las Vegas, in Havana County, Cuba, in April 1910. She was married for 56 years until her husbands’ death.
In 1930, she was elected the beauty queen of her native town and to be the representative on behalf of her hometown and all towns south of the Capital during all annual festivities.
In 1972, Barbete and her husband were exiled to the United States, where she has been a citizen since 1996, and a consistent voter.
She previously lived in Patterson, New Jersey; Orlando, Florida; and moved to Miami Lakes in 2001.
She was the pillar of the family when everybody was sad and lost in sorrow, her positive outlook always was courageous.
Her perseverance and creativity always improvised the perfect solution to many desperate situations.
“My family has gone through our share of losses, with the death of all of my mother’s contemporaries, the marriage and birth of the new generations but we have been blessed for being able to share the good, the bad and the Cuban exiles with my mother,” said Elsie Barbete, Gregoria Barrete’s daughter.