Maria del Carmen Perez de Guzman San Roman, wife of Vincent C. Arguimbau Jr., known as Tempa, passed away peacefully at home with family on April 15th in Seville, Spain. She was born on September 8, 1929 in Lucena del Puerto, Huelva ,Spain, to Admiral Pedro Perez de Guzman y Urzaiz of Huelva and Seville, the most decorated warrior in Spain, and Carmen San Roman Malagarriga, of Barcelona, Spain, whose father was the mayor of Barcelona.
Born into a dominant reigning family of Southern Spain, Tempa was schooled at Colegio de las Irlandesas in Castilleja de la Cuesta. In 1948, she met her ‘Don Vicente’ who was working as a third-generation American olive importer in Seville. They married six months later in the chapel of Jesuit Covent, ‘La Rabida’ in Palos, Huelva, the chapel where Columbus took his last Mass before setting sail to discover America. Fearless at 19, embarking on a new life, they too sailed to America to build a home, start a family on the shores of Darien, Connecticut. She entered the United States on June15, 1949; where she learned English and became naturalized in 1956.
Tempa would often be seen swimming or sailing her sailfish off Tokeneke Beach Club in Long Island Sound. Devoted to her family, she spent hours producing splendid gourmet meals. Her home fires centered around the kitchen, elegant dining room or in the summer months on the patio overlooking the idyllic Scotts Cove. Tempa was famous for her lemon meringue cake that became a tradition at each birthday. She never missed a chance to bring family and friends together especially for the holidays. Ever the perfect hostess, and always immaculately dressed, her sense of style led her to partner with Ann (Orsi) Lunn in the 60’s to launch ‘Ann Y Tempa’, a successful fashion boutique; selling hostess and party designs to all the major retailers of the day such as Bergdorf and Saks; featured regularly in fashion magazines.
She was remembered in the ’70s and ’80s as an active member of the Darien RTM. On her regular trips back to Seville, Tempa started ‘Los Amigos de Sevilla’ joining with the Venice Charter to protect the ‘Green Zones’ around the historic monuments of the world from developers. Tempa had the poise to handle any situation by finding common ground with people from all walks of life. What had taken two years for the U.S. Navy to accomplish, Tempa was able to secure the Tall Ship, “Sebastian el Cano” for “Operation Sail 1986”, by just one meeting with King Juan Carlos, which set the stage for other tall ships to join the celebrated 4th of July Tall Ships Parade in New York Harbor. Often, Tempa would be found entertaining a delegation of Spaniards in her home along with working to promote the Hispanic Society Museum & Library on upper Broadway in NYC. Tempa was named Dame of Malta in 2008, the highest honor conferred by the Catholic Church.
Having lived in Darien for 68 years, she was predeceased by her husband, Vincent of 51 years, in 2000, and her brother, Pedro Perez de Guzman, in 2019. She is survived by her brother, Gonzalo Perez de Guzman; four children: Vincent Arguimbau (Hilarie) of Darien; Peter Arguimbau (Kim) of Greenwich; Mariette Scott (Edward) of Darien; Suzanne Gebelein (George) of Dedham, Massachusetts; grandchildren: Alexandra, Quintin, George, Andre, Maria, Olivia and Terra; great-grandchildren; Hadley and Holden, along with her many nieces and nephews both in the US and Spain.
Humble and principled, always devoted to her family here and abroad; Tempa remained true to herself and there was no challenge she wouldn’t take on. She never missed an invitation or lost her composure and always carried herself with dignity and grace throughout her life. Tempa’s unforgettable Spanish accent, warm accepting gaze and sumptuous cuisine will be sorely missed.
A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.
