Episcopal Press and News
Nelson Famadas, Episcopal Relief and Development board member, dies at 61
Episcopal News Service. January 26, 2010 [012610-03]
ENS Staff
Episcopal Relief & Development board member and prominent Puerto Rican and southeast Florida businessman Nelson Famadas died Jan. 25 in Miami, Florida, of complications from heart surgery.
"Nelson has been a complete gift and blessing to the work of Episcopal Relief & Development. His deep faith, commitment to the poor, love of the church, generosity and good humor are lights that continue to shine in our common life and work. We are deeply grateful for his witness to the Gospel. He, Blanca and his family are being held lovingly in our prayers," said Bishop Robert J. O’Neill, chair of the Board of Directors for Episcopal Relief & Development.
Famadas was also a member of the board of Our Little Roses Ministries, a home and school for orphaned and at-risk girls in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. "He was our angel," said Jackie Fernandez, assistant to Diocese of Southeast Florida Bishop Leo Frade, whose wife, Diana, is the founder and director of Our Little Roses.
Famadas served on the investment committee of the Diocese of Southeast Florida and had been a member of the diocesan Commission on Ministry from 2002-2007; he was also active in diocesan ministries in his native Puerto Rico. He was an active member of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Coral Gables, where he had served on the vestry and until his death was a lay reader, lay eucharistic minister and choir member.
His wife, Blanca, who survives him, serves on the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Southeast Florida, and is a member of the Cathedral Chapter of Trinity Cathedral, Miami.
At the time of death, Famadas served as vice chairman of the board of Sun American Bank in Boca Raton, Florida; as chairman and CEO of Gables Holding Corporation real estate development company; and was an adjunct professor of operations management at the School of Business Administration at Florida International University.
Famadas was a founding member of the University of Puerto Rico's Graduate School of Business, where he taught courses in operations management, strategic planning and entrepreneurship before he retired. He earned a Ph.D. in business and applied economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
In 1984, Famadas ran for resident commissioner, Puerto Rico's non-voting representative in U.S. Congress.
A viewing will be held at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Coral Gables Jan. 27 from 7 p.m. until 12 midnight, followed by a nightlong vigil coordinated by the parish's chapter of the Daughters of the King. A Holy Eucharist of celebration and thanksgiving for Famadas' life is set for Thursday, Jan. 28, at 11 a.m. at St. Philip's.
The family requests that memorial donations be directed to the Memorial Garden Fund, St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 1142 Coral Way, Coral Gables, FL 33103; or to Our Little Roses, or to the Haiti relief fund of Episcopal Relief & Development.