It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Hortensia Hernandez on July 31, 2024 at the age of 91. Hortensia was born on January 25, 1933 in Fraijanes, Guatemala. She was a proud immigrant to the United States and became a US citizen in 2003.
She came from humble beginnings, and when she first came to the US, she worked a night job as a hotel room cleaner and took classes to learn English during the day. Through perseverance and hard work, she got a job at The New England Life Insurance Co. in Boston as a Policy Change support member and ended up working there for over 30 years with several advancements in her career. She made many friends along the way.
After living in Jamaica Plain for 25 years she moved to West Roxbury in 1992 to be closer to her daughter, son in law and grandchildren. Hortensia loved her family including her grandkids and great-grandsons especially. She enjoyed travelling in retirement, notably to Rome, Guatemala and Belize several times to spend time with extended family including her daughter-in-law and grandson.
Hortensia was an amazing cook and was especially known for her delicious salsa! She had an amazing ability to make people laugh and many nights were spent laughing and listening to her stories and jokes at the dinner table. She enjoyed getting together with her friends, gardening as well as tending to her indoor plants, and watching her favorite Spanish Soap Operas, game shows like Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud.
She is survived by her daughter Elizabeth (Zuniga) Grace, her sister Clara Perez, brother Moises Hernandez, grandchildren, Darryl J, Grace, Veronica Grace Mellen and Geovanni Zuniga, and 2 great-grandchildren, Kyle and Ian Mellen, as well as several nephews, nieces and grand-nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her mother Leonza Monroy, father Abel Hernandez, son Julio Antonio Zuniga, sister Otilia Hernandez and brother Herlindo Hernandez.
Services will be held on Saturday August 10 from 11-1 at Casper Funeral & Cremation Services: 187 Dorchester St. Boston, MA 02127. She will then be buried in her hometown of Fraijanes Guatemala.