By Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami
Photographer: COURTESY
Paul DiMare: Born April 14, 1941; died Dec. 30, 2022; longtime member of St. Hugh Parish, Coconut Grove, and supporter of the Archdiocese of Miami.
MIAMI | Paul DiMare, a Miami businessman, philanthropist and faithful Catholic who, in Archbishop Thomas Wenski’s words, “not only did well – he did good,” has died at the age of 81.
Archbishop Wenski will celebrate the funeral Mass this Friday, Jan. 6, at noon at Epiphany Church, 8235 S.W. 57 Ave., Miami. DiMare died Dec. 30, 2022. Burial will follow at Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery in Doral.
DiMare and his wife were longtime members of St. Hugh Parish in Coconut Grove but the Mass is being celebrated at Epiphany to accommodate the expected turnout from the community.
“I had the opportunity to talk with him by phone on Christmas Day. He was his usual gracious self, but he did say that his health was failing,” Archbishop Wenski said. “I promised to continue to pray for him, and for his wife, Swanee.”
According to his obituary in Legacy.com, DiMare “was one of our community's most dedicated philanthropists. He impacted numerous organizations and helped many thousands of people with his generosity of spirit, time and treasure.”
The archbishop noted that a plaque in his office, dating from the time of Miami’s second archbishop, Edward McCarthy, says the office’s furnishings were donated by the Paul DiMare family.
“He was a longtime supporter of the ABCD,” Archbishop Wenski said. “He was a father, a husband and grandfather, a successful businessman, a longtime supporter of everything UM, a generous philanthropist: He not only did well, he did good — a lot of good for so many people in our community.”
In addition to generously supporting the ABCD, or Archbishop’s Charities and Development campaign each year, DiMare also supported the University of Miami’s Catholic Campus Ministry, Catholic education and many other archdiocesan initiatives.
Photographer: COURTESY
Paul DiMare and his wife, Swanee, pose at the Archdiocese of Miami's 60th anniversary gala, held Oct. 20, 2018 at Marlins Park.
“Paul was a pillar in our community,” said Katie Blanco Bourdeau, president of the archdiocese’s Development Corporation and cabinet secretary for Stewardship and Development. “Not only our Catholic community but the South Florida community. He was kind, generous and loving. He embodied the true meaning of charity, always giving back to help those in need, our Church and other charitable organizations.”
“He leaves a lasting legacy and will be missed by many, including me,” Blanco Bourdeau added.
Born April 14, 1941, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, DiMare graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and went to work for the family business, the DiMare Company.
Begun 94 years ago by DiMare’s father and uncles as “a pushcart filled with produce on the streets of Boston,” the company grew to include farms in Homestead and Ruskin, Florida, as well as Indio and Newman, California, with packing and distribution centers in Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania. Two of DiMare’s sons, Tony and Scott, continue in leadership roles in the company, now known as DiMare Fresh.
Paul DiMare ultimately served as president of seven family corporations and as founder and administrator of the Paul J. DiMare Foundation. According to the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame, he was affectionately known as “Mr. Tomato.” In 2016, he was named Agriculturist of the Year by the Dade County Farm Bureau in recognition of “his innovative practices as a tomato grower and packer, as a community leader and as a responsible employer,” according to the Legacy.com obituary.
He also received the Martin Luther King, Jr. award from the Homestead and Florida City Human Relations Board and was named Outstanding Agricultural Employer by the Mexican-American Council.
According to the Legacy.com obituary, DiMare received “untold numbers of local and national honors,” including the American Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year, the national Ellis Island Award in 2014, and, along with his wife, the United Way Tocqueville Society Outstanding Philanthropy Award in 2020.
DiMare served as member of the board or trustee of many organizations, including Camillus House, the Chapman Partnership for the Homeless, the Baptist Hospital South Florida Foundation, the American Red Cross of Greater Miami and the Keys, the University of Miami, and the Buoniconti Fund.
The DiMares’ generosity also is reflected in the Swanee and Paul DiMare Stage at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and The Swanee and Paul DiMare Science Village and Butterfly Garden at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens.
In addition to his wife, Swanee, and sons Tony and Scott, DiMare is survived by sons Paul, Jr. and Gino (UM's head baseball coach), stepson Jim Husk, 14 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
The family asks that donations in his name be made to the Miami Project “to fulfill Paul's dream” of finding “a cure for the incurables” — neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, ALS, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, macular degeneration, Tourette, Huntington's, and CJD-prion disease.
