Antonio B. Abella

July 23, 1941 - May 12, 2020

ABELLA, ANTONIO B., 79, born in Havana, Cuba, passed away on May 12, 2020 in Coral Gables, Florida. Visitation will be held on Thursday, May 14, 2020 from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm. A Mass for the eternal rest of his soul will be celebrated on Friday, May 15, 2020 at 11:00 am at the Belen Jesuit Church Chapel, with Graveside services to follow at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery. The family kindly requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, Jesuit Spiritual Center, Regis House, and/or the Chapman Partnership for the homeless. A Message from his Brothers of Belen: Brothers, On May 12th, the Belen community lost one of its favorite sons. Tony Abella was a proud member of the class of 1959 who died after a long battle with cancer. Let me tell you, if there was a class offered on how to become the ideal Belen Jesuit alumnus, Abella would not only be the star professor, but he would be chairing the department. In all the years I have been associated with our school, Tony Abella has been there. When I was a student, I would see Mr. Abella at all the masses and events, usually with a camera around his neck. I also saw him often because his son, Tony Jr. ‘85, was just a couple of years ahead of me and was the star goalie for our soccer team. If there was a game, Tony Sr. would be there taking pictures. Then came his grandson, Tyler ‘19, and with him one more generation of Abellas at Belen. Tony’s commitment to Belen after graduation began way before becoming a Belen parent. For a while, he taught biology when the school was located in Little Havana and then became the first lay principal in the history of our school. In the many years to follow, he served the school as a member of the Board of Advisors, Ramón Guiteras Memorial Library Board of Governors, he was on the Regis House Board and the Alumni Association Board of Directors. In addition, he was a member of the Agrupación Católica Universitaria (ACU) and frequently did the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. All the while, he took pictures. Tony was an important benefactor of the school, both with his time and his treasure. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. I will be forever grateful to him for his support and advice, which he was always quick to offer whenever I called and asked. He was committed to Belen Jesuit and was proud of his alma mater. A Memorial Mass for Tony will be live-streamed on Friday, May 15th at 11:00 a.m. on the Belen Jesuit YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/BelenJesuit. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a gift be made to Belen Jesuit in Tony's memory. If you wish to make a gift please visit, https://www.belenjesuit.org/support and in the comment field please add "In memory of Tony Abella '59". Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and the rest of the Abella family. May he rest in peace. Auspice Maria, Fr. Willie ‘87