Joseph M. Lougachi's Obituary
Joseph Lougachi, 94, passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 17, 2026. Joe leaves behind his loving wife and lifelong companion Beryl (aka Bobbi) of 64 years, and his three children: Kevin Lougachi, Kim Rosenthal and Stephanie Spiegel. He had three grandchildren: Annie Schlossberg, Franki Rosenthal, and Norah Lougachi.
Joe was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1931. He was a member of a small Jewish community that existed in Egypt at that time. Although his years in Egypt were difficult, he had many interesting stories from that time period. In the late 1940’s, after the end of WWII, Joe left Egypt and moved to Israel, where he served in the Israeli army from 1949 into the early 1950’s.
He was a lifelong supporter of Israel from his time in the early years of the country. However, after being discharged from the Israeli army, Joe decided that his future lay elsewhere, and he subsequently moved to Marseille, France and then to the United States. Joe settled in Manhattan, where he attended a beauty school to become a hairdresser. He met Bobbi who picked up her mother from that same school, and they got married in 1961. The next year, Joe became a U.S. citizen. Joe and Bobbi lived in and around Manhattan before moving to Miami Beach, Florida in the 1960’s.
Joe was well known for his business, Michel’s Beauty Salon, located in Normandy Isle, Miami Beach, which was a staple of the community in the 1970’s and 1980’s. As a hairdresser, Joe colored, cut and styled the hair of hundreds of women and men (if not thousands), all of whom left his shop looking fantastic and feeling better about themselves. Joe worked on the hair of many politicians and celebrities. He became the confidante of many of his clients over the years as they sat in his chair and talked about their lives while he worked on their hair.
Joe worked tirelessly as a hairdresser for more than two decades, frequently working seven days a week, ten hours or more a day. However, in the late 1990’s, Joe closed his hair salon and moved with Bobbi to Weston, Florida to be closer to their daughter Kim. Joe remained in Weston for the rest of his life.
While he continued as a hairdresser, Joe found pleasure in other things, including art and stamp collecting. He also loved spending time with his grandchildren and traveling with Bobbi to Europe, Russia and Israel. They frequently toured the Caribbean and Europe on many different cruise lines.
Joe will be remembered for his large personality and ability to strike up a conversation and make a friend with anyone no matter where he found himself. Joe touched the lives of many people, and his passing will leave those who knew him thinking fondly about the man with a big smile who always knew how to reach other people and leave them feeling good about themselves.
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