Nina Soto, Episcopal lay leader and wife of Bishop Onell Soto, dies at 92

Nina Rosa Ulloa Soto
September 22, 1933 – December 22, 2025

Nina Soto, Cuban missionary and first episcopal woman to graduate from the Episcopal Seminary in Cuba.

Nina Soto, a Cuban missionary who spent decades spreading the Gospel in Latin America and beyond, passed away peacefully on December 22, 2025, surrounded by love. She was born in Morón, in the Province of Camagüey, Cuba, the sixth of nine children of Ulpiano Ulloa and Carolina Companioni.

From an early age, Nina distinguished herself as an excellent student with a deep love of learning. Books were her lifelong companions and shaped the thoughtful, reflective spirit that defined her life. She studied philosophy at the University of Havana and later earned a master’s degree in Christian Education from the Episcopal Seminary of Matanzas, where she made history as the first Episcopal woman to graduate from the seminary. Following her graduation, she served as Director of Christian Education for the Episcopal Diocese of Cuba in Havana, beginning a life devoted to faith, education, and service.

In January 1956, Nina met the love of her life at a student retreat in Manicaragua. Onell Soto was preparing to represent Cuba at a world meeting of Christian students in Germany. When they met, he told her he hoped to see her again upon his return so he could show her photographs from his journey. That simple invitation marked the beginning of a love story that would span fifty-five years of marriage and a life lived across five countries: Cuba, the United States, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Venezuela.

Nina and Onell married on July 4, 1960, at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Morón, Cuba. They honeymooned in the colonial city of Trinidad while quietly making the difficult decision to leave their beloved Cuba, holding on to the hope that one day they might return.

They departed Cuba in late 1960 and began a life shaped by faith and church service. In 1965, the family moved to Quito, Ecuador, where Onell served as vicar of the Episcopal Church of San Nicolás. Nina supported the Spanish-speaking congregation and helped organize the city’s ecumenical movement. In mid-1971, the family relocated to El Salvador when Onell was appointed Executive Secretary of the Episcopal Church’s Ninth Province. Nina continued her ministry alongside him, working on ecumenical publications.

In December 1977, Nina and Onell moved to Montclair, New Jersey, following his appointment as Officer of Information and Education for the World Mission Unit of the Episcopal Church. There, they raised their four children. During these years, Nina’s leadership and faith extended far beyond her home. In 1985, she represented the Episcopal Church at the Third United Nations World Conference on Women in Nairobi, Kenya. She served for many years on the National Committee of the United Thank Offering, as a board trustee of the Episcopal Seminary in Puerto Rico, and for more than a decade as editor of Día a Día, the Spanish-language edition of Forward Movement Day by Day, offering daily devotions to Spanish-speaking Episcopalians.

In 1987, Nina and Onell moved to Venezuela after he was elected Bishop of the Anglican Church of Venezuela. They lived there until 1995, serving with devotion and humility. Onell later served as assistant bishop in the Episcopal dioceses of Atlanta and Alabama. In 2002, as they transitioned into retirement, he was appointed Interim Director of Communications for the Anglican Communion, leading them to spend several months living at St. Andrew’s House in London.

Nina and Onell eventually retired to Miami, Florida, where they lived together until Onell’s death in 2015, and where Nina remained until her own passing. They celebrated fifty-five years of marriage surrounded by their children and six grandchildren.

Above all, Nina was a devoted and loving mother, a lifelong partner to her husband, and a woman of quiet strength and compassion. She deeply loved Cuba and carried it in her heart always. She found joy in coloring mandalas, tending flowers, traveling, and surrounding herself with beauty. She had a true gift for gardening, a compassionate spirit, and a quiet elegance that drew admiration from all who knew her. Her faith was lived daily through action and kindness.

Nina Rosa Ulloa Soto leaves behind a legacy of love, service, and faith. She is survived by her daughter Ana María Soto and granddaughter Susana Cárdenas-Soto; her daughter Lidia Soto-Harmon and son-in-law Robert Harmon, and grandchildren Tomás Harmon (husband Brandon Rogers) and Nina María Harmon (fiancé Emory Nolte); her son Onell Robert Soto and daughter-in-law Robin Soto; and her daughter Elena Soto-Chapa and son-in-law Jimmy Chapa, and grandchildren Cristina Elena, Alicia Mía, and Lucero. She is also survived by two sisters, and many nieces, nephews, and extended family who loved her deeply.

May she rest in peace.

A Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Nina Soto will be held on Saturday, January 17, at 2:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 464 NE 16th Street, Miami, Florida 33132.

The service will be livestreamed at:
https://youtu.be/HOVX4adphHI

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hispanic Ministry of the Diocese of Southwest Florida.