Deacon Dr. Diego Eugenio Antonio Pérez 94, passed away Monday, October 2, 2023, in Charlotte, NC.

Diego was born on November 15, 1928, in Havana, Cuba, to the late Alberto Ángel Pérez y Valdes and Vicenta Bernarda Gonzales.  He was also preceded in death by his brother Alberto Pérez and grandson Wyatt Searle.

He is survived by his son, Diego F. Pérez (Rhonda), Monclova Twp, OH and daughters, Alicia Searle (Steve), Sylvania, OH, Loretta Rominski (Don), Grand Rapids, OH, Maria Pérez (Paul), Lake Wylie, SC, Magdalena Lott (Frank), Tega Cay, SC, and Maria-Teresa Pérez (Néstor), La Plata, Argentina; his sister, Elvira Ramos, Kansas; and his brother, Gustavo Pérez, Maryland.  He is also survived by his twelve grandchildren, Angel Arehart (Leighland), Patric Lammie, Chris Searle (Kasi), Brittany Lammie, Alex Latta (Rhyna), Elena Pérez Lopez (Mikey), Ana Pérez, Marisa Searle, Isabela Ceely, Diego A. Pérez, Nathan Lott, and Vicki Lott as well as his five great-grandchildren Riley, Scarlett, Owen, Kellan and Jackson.

Diego was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. He was a lover of family, opera, dogs, food, languages and travel from a young age. He enjoyed regaling people with stories from his youth and the countless hijinks from his time in medical school. His passion for opera was manifested each Saturday, often to the dismay of the neighbors. He picked up languages with ease and enjoyed trying dishes from around the world, although his favorite foods were always those from his beloved homeland.

After graduating from medical school in Cuba, the communist revolution was escalating, and the country was becoming increasingly unstable. With great sadness, Diego and his family left their beloved homeland and sought asylum in the US, first living in New Jersey before settling in Ohio. He completed a residency at The Ohio State University Hospital and then took a position with the State of Ohio, first briefly at the Cambridge State Hospital and then moved with his family to Toledo to take a position at the Toledo State Hospital (later Toledo Mental Health Center) for the remainder of his career. He later joined the faculty of the Medical College of Ohio, teaching classes related to his specialty in Psychiatry.

He became a Permanent Deacon of the Diocese of Toledo and served in his home parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Health from his ordination in 1979 until his retirement. During his service there, he regularly visited shut-ins, advocated and participated in Eucharistic adoration, baptized generations of babies, including some of his own grandchildren, and had the pleasure of also marrying some of the members of his extensive brood.  He traveled to Italy for many years with the Marian Movement of Priests and had the honor of serving Mass as the only Deacon with St. John Paul II on several occasions and on one occasion received a personal blessing from His Holiness, a highlight of his lifetime.

His final years were spent in South Carolina living with his daughter Maria Pérez and son-in-law Paul Ceely and their family.

A  service will be held 2:00 p.m. Friday, October 6, 2023 at All Saints Catholic Church, 530 Highway 274, Lake Wylie, SC with Deacon Theodore B. Clement and Deacon Andrew J. DeSilva officiating.  The family will receive friends one hour before the service in the parish hall.  Interment will be in Resurrection Cemetery, in Toledo, OH following a Funeral Mass held 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 2255 Central Grove, Toledo, OH 43614. The family will receive friends one hour before the service at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, 2255 Central Grove, Toledo, OH 43614 www.olphtoledo.org.

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