Obituary for Matilde Hernandez
Matilde (Mati) Rosas Pérez de Hernández
On 5 August 1917, in a small town south of the USA/Mexican border named Magdalena, Sonora in México, a beautiful baby girl was born who would become don Epigmenio’s, special daughter, operate his grocery store, and become a middle school teacher in Nogales, Sonora, México. She was a high school basketball star athlete and the envy of all the girls at school. A very handsome young Méxican federal law enforcement officer and pharmacist from southern México, Enrique Hernández Zavala of Los Reyes Michoacán, México, fell in love with his future incredibly talented and beautiful wife. They married on 5 December 1946 and brought bright shining light to three lovely children, Socorro Hernández Holmes, Francisco Xavier Perez Hernández, and Eglantina Hernández Lucero. Later, when dad was in charge of the USA/Mexican border crossing station (Aduana) in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, México, Enrique Perez Hernández, Jr. arrived, before heading north to Tucson to earn our American dream in 1956.
Our mother loved to bake incredibly delicious pastries and my brother would sell every pastry in record time and always had return customers. She also loved to embroider and other creative arts & crafts, a champion at jigsaw puzzles of at least 1,000 pieces, a champion at crossword puzzles, and kept us laughing at her jokes while watching her favorite western movies. She was very proud to become a first generation U.S. citizen and she cherished her Mexican American heritage. She was very religious and would hold vigils to our Lady of Guadalupe with our father Enrique, Sr. hosting, which not only filled the house with delicious fragrances of Méxican dishes, but of family and friends. The overcapacity overflowed into the front and back yards, with family and friends excited about praying the rosary, singing to Our Lady of Guadalupe, dad’s and mom’s delicious Méxican food, sharing stories and receiving many blessings. One of her lifetime milestone events, which was a great blessing for our spiritual mother, was attending Pope St. John Paul II’s mass in Phoenix, at St. Mary’s Basilica.
On 5 August 2017, on mom’s 100th birthday, her children, grandchildren and other family and friends celebrated her unbelievable achievement of a long fruitful and happy life. The celebration included a catered meal, mariachis, and a plethora of gifts for mom. Our very grateful and overjoyed mom and her multitude of guests were treated to a video filled with wonderful memories with pictures reaching as far back of her as a teenager, her parents, siblings, dad, friends and family arriving to recent memory.
After 103 years, our loving and caring mother was ready to live in heavenly paradise and join her handsome young pharmacist and protector of México and his family, our dad, on 7 February 2021. She took her last two deep breaths in preparation for her journey to heaven, in the comfort of her home, loved and visited by family, before she passed on to heaven in peace.
Our amazing loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather Enrique Sr., predeceased our mom, as did her parents, Epigmenio Mejia Pérez and Zeferina Rosas de Pérez. Her siblings Eduardo, Trinidad, Francisca, Joaquin, Manuel and Epigmenio Jr., and her oldest nephew Enrique Luna, Jr. predeceased our mom. Her grandchild Juémac Hernandez and Antonio Gallego Badilla, Anna Badilla’s late husband, predeceased our mother and she will join them in paradise. Our remarkably talented sister Eglantina Lucero, who spent their time together shopping, embroidering, and on journeys together to live in Phoenix and Ohio, lived their last days together at home, and Tina predeceased her two weeks prior. Our sister Tina will go to heaven hand-in-hand with mom on their last journey together, in paradise.
Mati’s sibling sister, Laura Pérez Godinez survives her and lives in Tucson with her son Jesus Lorenzo. Her loving and affectionate children Socorro Hernández Holmes, Francisco Xavier Pérez Hernández, and Enrique Pérez Hernández, Jr. survive our mother. She is also survived by her devoted and adoring grandchildren, Stan Holmes (Julie), Steve Holmes (Vanessa), Frank Torres (Robin), Anna Badilla, Frank Hernández (aka Gordo), Elizabeth Hernández, Eddie Lucero, Robert Lucero (Inez), Michael Lucero (Aletha), Isidoro Jacques Hernández, Monica Jacques Hernández, Enrique Jacques Hernández, III, and Marc Anthony Jacques Hernández.
Her wonderful great-grandchildren, Aitana, Seth, Aydan; Carson, Landon, Cruz, Ryder; Anthony (Catie), Hector, Stephen (Lauren), Jessica, Alex, Jonathan (Joshua), Ysidro, Helena, Ysela, Aaliyah, Christian, Sebastian, Francisco Charles Torres, and Nicolas Enrique Torres, and Amanda Rene’e Gavaldon (Anthony) survive their loving great-grandmother.
Her youngest, great-great-grandchildren, Marshal, Maxx, Eowyn, Emmette, Sophia, Sergio, Alesy, Magdiel, Liam Josue Gavaldon, Atticus Alexander Gavaldon and Savanah Monroe Gavaldon survive her with love.
Her funeral services and internment will be in private due to the Tucson mayor’s mandated COVID-19 capacity restrictions. However, there will be a celebration of her amazing life in the COVID pandemic free future.
Our caring and compassionate mother’s viewing will be on Thursday at Abbey Funeral Chapel. Her rosary and mass will be on Friday, 19 February 2021 and laid to rest with dad on the same day at South Lawn cemetery in Tucson, Arizona.
On 5 August 1917, in a small town south of the USA/Mexican border named Magdalena, Sonora in México, a beautiful baby girl was born who would become don Epigmenio’s, special daughter, operate his grocery store, and become a middle school teacher in Nogales, Sonora, México. She was a high school basketball star athlete and the envy of all the girls at school. A very handsome young Méxican federal law enforcement officer and pharmacist from southern México, Enrique Hernández Zavala of Los Reyes Michoacán, México, fell in love with his future incredibly talented and beautiful wife. They married on 5 December 1946 and brought bright shining light to three lovely children, Socorro Hernández Holmes, Francisco Xavier Perez Hernández, and Eglantina Hernández Lucero. Later, when dad was in charge of the USA/Mexican border crossing station (Aduana) in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, México, Enrique Perez Hernández, Jr. arrived, before heading north to Tucson to earn our American dream in 1956.
Our mother loved to bake incredibly delicious pastries and my brother would sell every pastry in record time and always had return customers. She also loved to embroider and other creative arts & crafts, a champion at jigsaw puzzles of at least 1,000 pieces, a champion at crossword puzzles, and kept us laughing at her jokes while watching her favorite western movies. She was very proud to become a first generation U.S. citizen and she cherished her Mexican American heritage. She was very religious and would hold vigils to our Lady of Guadalupe with our father Enrique, Sr. hosting, which not only filled the house with delicious fragrances of Méxican dishes, but of family and friends. The overcapacity overflowed into the front and back yards, with family and friends excited about praying the rosary, singing to Our Lady of Guadalupe, dad’s and mom’s delicious Méxican food, sharing stories and receiving many blessings. One of her lifetime milestone events, which was a great blessing for our spiritual mother, was attending Pope St. John Paul II’s mass in Phoenix, at St. Mary’s Basilica.
On 5 August 2017, on mom’s 100th birthday, her children, grandchildren and other family and friends celebrated her unbelievable achievement of a long fruitful and happy life. The celebration included a catered meal, mariachis, and a plethora of gifts for mom. Our very grateful and overjoyed mom and her multitude of guests were treated to a video filled with wonderful memories with pictures reaching as far back of her as a teenager, her parents, siblings, dad, friends and family arriving to recent memory.
After 103 years, our loving and caring mother was ready to live in heavenly paradise and join her handsome young pharmacist and protector of México and his family, our dad, on 7 February 2021. She took her last two deep breaths in preparation for her journey to heaven, in the comfort of her home, loved and visited by family, before she passed on to heaven in peace.
Our amazing loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather Enrique Sr., predeceased our mom, as did her parents, Epigmenio Mejia Pérez and Zeferina Rosas de Pérez. Her siblings Eduardo, Trinidad, Francisca, Joaquin, Manuel and Epigmenio Jr., and her oldest nephew Enrique Luna, Jr. predeceased our mom. Her grandchild Juémac Hernandez and Antonio Gallego Badilla, Anna Badilla’s late husband, predeceased our mother and she will join them in paradise. Our remarkably talented sister Eglantina Lucero, who spent their time together shopping, embroidering, and on journeys together to live in Phoenix and Ohio, lived their last days together at home, and Tina predeceased her two weeks prior. Our sister Tina will go to heaven hand-in-hand with mom on their last journey together, in paradise.
Mati’s sibling sister, Laura Pérez Godinez survives her and lives in Tucson with her son Jesus Lorenzo. Her loving and affectionate children Socorro Hernández Holmes, Francisco Xavier Pérez Hernández, and Enrique Pérez Hernández, Jr. survive our mother. She is also survived by her devoted and adoring grandchildren, Stan Holmes (Julie), Steve Holmes (Vanessa), Frank Torres (Robin), Anna Badilla, Frank Hernández (aka Gordo), Elizabeth Hernández, Eddie Lucero, Robert Lucero (Inez), Michael Lucero (Aletha), Isidoro Jacques Hernández, Monica Jacques Hernández, Enrique Jacques Hernández, III, and Marc Anthony Jacques Hernández.
Her wonderful great-grandchildren, Aitana, Seth, Aydan; Carson, Landon, Cruz, Ryder; Anthony (Catie), Hector, Stephen (Lauren), Jessica, Alex, Jonathan (Joshua), Ysidro, Helena, Ysela, Aaliyah, Christian, Sebastian, Francisco Charles Torres, and Nicolas Enrique Torres, and Amanda Rene’e Gavaldon (Anthony) survive their loving great-grandmother.
Her youngest, great-great-grandchildren, Marshal, Maxx, Eowyn, Emmette, Sophia, Sergio, Alesy, Magdiel, Liam Josue Gavaldon, Atticus Alexander Gavaldon and Savanah Monroe Gavaldon survive her with love.
Her funeral services and internment will be in private due to the Tucson mayor’s mandated COVID-19 capacity restrictions. However, there will be a celebration of her amazing life in the COVID pandemic free future.
Our caring and compassionate mother’s viewing will be on Thursday at Abbey Funeral Chapel. Her rosary and mass will be on Friday, 19 February 2021 and laid to rest with dad on the same day at South Lawn cemetery in Tucson, Arizona.