Eulogy - Mario Eugenio Beguiristain

My dear friends and family, thank you for coming out to remember my big brother Mario. Just a few words about Macu, which was the family nickname we gave him.  He was eight years older than I so he was almost like a second father to me.  He had a profound impact on my formation not just as a person, but also the way he fostered my love of music.

I would like to tell you about some of the things I remember about him.

When he was in high school and I was a kid, he would draw pictures all the time. But he only drew two seemingly disconnected things that made no sense to me. He would draw portraits of beautiful, exotic women wearing long earrings, fancy hair styles, heavily made up eyes.  And the other thing he drew was architectural designs of movie theaters showing the projection room, the seating and screen. That's it, that’s all he would draw. And he drew literally hundreds of these things.  And I would wonder, ‘what is it with this guy drawing women and movie theaters?’ I drew a lot too but I drew cool stuff like planes and cars.  In retrospect I think the beautiful women represented exotic movie starlets, and the movie theater designs of course represented his interest in film and film technology, which later became his calling in life.

Another story about his love for technology as it relates to film and TV. When we left Cuba and landed in Miami on Aug 8, 1963, one day we went to a shopping center (that what they were called back then – shopping centers) and he saw his first color TV in a store window and that TV was always on to draw customers. He was instantly blown away by that color TV. We lived about 3 miles from that store. But every Sunday night, he would grab my bicycle and I would ride in the back, and we would pedal down to the store and sit in front of the window and watch Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color at 7:30 pm.  I don’t know if you remember – but in 1963, that was one of the few TV shows broadcast in color.

He bought all the Beatles albums, and I would wear them out listening to them.  One day in 1967, he brings home the Sgt Peppers album – we played it and we looked at each other and went – OMG – what have the Beatles done? He knew right away the significance, but it took me awhile to figure it out that the Beatles had grown up and the era of She Loves You Yea Yea Yea and I Want To Hold Your Hand was over.

In 1970, I was playing saxophone in high school and he takes me to see my first rock show, the band Chicago, which was one of the first rock bands with a horn section. I was blown away instantly by their lead guitar player ‘Terry Kath’ who to this day is my favorite guitar player, as a result I started playing guitar and later the bass which I play today in a couple of bar bands.  

In the summer of 1970, Macu took off for California with several friends in a VW Hippie Bus to make it big in Hollywood. The VW Bus, never made it to Hollywood, but he did. And you know what, he fulfilled his dream of working in the film, TV, and advertising industry producing/writing/directing – HE PRETTY MUCH DID IT ALL.  He followed his dream – he did it his way… He was not afraid to roll the dice and take a chance.  And that’s one of the things I always admired about him.  He also hit the big time with all the friends he made in life because he had such a big heart and he would accept anyone from different walks of life. He had an open door policy at his apartment in Miami Beach welcoming friends and family any time of day or night. I will try to carry on that tradition to the extent that I can, and his apartment which is his very essence will remain ‘as is’ in his memory.  I have received so many emails in the past few days from friends expressing their grief and love for Macu.  I wish I could read them all but will read one excerpt from his dear friend Gerry Herman who said.

For the past 40 years - has been my best friend in the world. There was nobody - not even in my family - whom I enjoyed being together with more, and my life has suddenly become so very empty.  Mario was more than a delight.  He was the brightest light in my life - the most honest and generous and joyful person I will ever know.

That is Macu’s legacy – true friendships that lasted a lifetime. While for me, he was my big brother who took me places, cared for me and always insisted on paying for everything.

I have one last mission to fulfill for Macu and I will read directly from his will – it says - Please disperse my ashes over the beach dune/hump with the coconut palms I planted in front of my apartment. If this is not allowed, don’t tell anyone and do it anyway. Don’t worry Macu, consider it done and soon you will be at one with the beach, the sand, the sun, the night moon, the warm winds, and your beloved coconut palms. Macu hated long goodbyes, so I will end with -> I love you my dear brother and I speak for friends and family gathered here today who love you too. We will miss you but one day we will see you again in your apartment up in the sky, and we will once again enjoy music, food, laughter, with friends and family.