God's will has been done.  Our precious and beloved mother and grandmother Lucy C. Hernandez went home to the Lord on September 7, 2024.  Just as she wanted, she passed peacefully at home in the loving care of her family.

Lucy was brought to this earth by Ignacio and Rumalda Castro in Fillmore, CA. on October 7, 1927.  "Gracias a Dios".  She lived a long, and full life, rich with faith in God.   She grew up in Santa Paula where she attended the local schools, and eventually met and married her husband, Louis Hernandez.  Together they gave the gift of life to eight children.

She was a good mother and homemaker who utilized her survival skills passed down for generations from her righteous parents and grandparents. Her children and grandchildren remember how she raised chickens, turkeys, and goats; grew and preserved her food; and maintained an abundant edible garden of vegetables, herbs, and fruit trees.  She had great knowledge of and grew various medicinal plants for healing sick family members.  She was never idle and always kept busy inside and outside her home.  We could always find her praying, cooking, cleaning, or working.  We knew how particular she was about cleanliness, and she showed it by being systematically neat and organized in her daily life.

She was a great cook and always offered homemade food and drinks to her guests.  She always gave thanks to God by blessing her food and every meal.  To ensure that there would be enough food for everyone, she would bless the food and say, "May this feed five thousand people".  Offering food to others was her way of giving thanks to and serving God.  In her earlier days, she would also prepare food for hungry transients arriving on the trains to Santa Paula.  She lived near the train tracks and at the sound of an arriving train, she would run out to give them homemade tacos to eat with water and coffee to drink.  Her heart was set on being a servant of God.  She would say that any one of those travelers could be Jesus, "Podia ser Jesus Cristo".

She showed great empathy and compassion for those in need.  In the spring of 1966, she marched with Cesar Chavez, in an effort to shine the light on the deplorable working conditions the farmworkers faced.  She stood up for farmworkers' rights for fair treatment and better wages.  As a landlord, she helped many of her tenants with large families who were facing financial difficulties.  She would charge lower rent amounts and pay their monthly utilities.  Helping others was more important to her than personal financial gains.  Her hope and trust were in God, not money.

As her children grew older, Lucy started working outside the home.  She had a strong work ethic and applied that at all her jobs.  She worked in agriculture, picking apricots and walnuts.  Many times, she would take her kids to work with her to teach them to be responsible and to learn how to work.  She did not like to depend on anyone. She was hard-working and self-sufficient.  She held many jobs working for different companies: Burpee Seed, Ortega Chile/La Chileria, Limoneira packing house, Falcon Plastics/ Becton & Dickinson Laboratory on the assembly lines of medical supplies, and at Twin Pines in the food preparation department.

Lucy was always direct and honest.  She was not the kind of person to joke around.  She was a prayer warrior who always prayed for everyone at any time.  She would advise her grandchildren at a very young age to "repent", to turn away from sin, and turn to God for forgiveness. She loved all her children and grandchildren equally.  At every visitation, she would always give a blessing, hold their hands tightly, and pray with them.  She instilled a strong foundation of faith in her family, especially her grandchildren.  It was her lifelong passionate pursuit to teach them about God.

She continuously strengthened and sharpened her faith.  She invested her time, energy, and love to form Jesus within others.  One of her ways was through repetition of phrases: "Entregate a Dios", "Give yourself to God"; "Orar por sabiduria y conocimiento", "Pray for wisdom and knowledge"; "Si Dios quiere", "God willing"; "Gracias a Dios", "Thanks to God"; and "Que dios te bendiga", "God bless you".

"Gracias a Dios", Lucy was blessed to see the growth of her family to five generations.  When her grandchildren visited, her face would light up. Then, she would pull out dollar bills, bless the money, and give one to each grandchild to save.  The love in her towards her family was like the "agape" kind of love. Her love was selfless and unconditional.

Lucy spent most of her time focused on faith and her family.  However, she sometimes would make time for entertainment.  She enjoyed going on car rides, strolling through town, eating at restaurants, going to coffee shops, and going to the casinos with her family.  She loved to dance but rarely got the chance to do it.  Some of her favorite songs were "La Bamba" and "Un dia A La Vez".

In her final days, she was ready to meet her savior.  "Gracias a Dios", for the long life given to our dear mother and grandmother.  We are very grateful for the time we had with her growing up and we appreciate her words of wisdom, support, encouragement, and teachings about God.  She will be forever remembered in the hearts and minds of her family.  We believe that just as she did on earth, she will do in heaven and continue following and leading the path to God.

Lucy is survived by her children: Emily Hernandez, Alicia Hernandez Zepeda, Fernando Hernandez, Ralph Hernandez, Elva Hernandez Ayala, and Mario Hernandez, including 26 grandchildren, 81 great-grandchildren, and 72 great-great-grandchildren.  She is preceded in death by husband Louis Hernandez Sr., daughter Delores Hernandez, son Louis Hernandez Jr., granddaughter Joann Hernandez, grandsons Ruben Hernandez and Armando Castro, and great-grandsons Joseph Sotelo and David Espinoza.

The Hernandez family would like to express their deepest gratitude to Assisted Home Health and Angel of God Hospice agencies for their help in caring for our precious mother and grandmother.

Hallelujah! Our queen is not dead. She is only on a journey to a new home with the Lord.  "Los queremos mucho con todos nuestros corazones".  We love you with all our hearts!  Rest in peace Mom/grandma Lucy.