Herminia Mendoza Portalatin, a devoted servant of Jesus Christ, went home to be with The Lord on November 5th, 2019 at 10:51 P.M after fighting a courageous battle with Congestive Heart Failure and Poly Myalgia Rheumatica. She passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her children and grandchildren.
Herminia Mendoza Portalatin was born in a small poor town in Fajardo Puerto Rico on April 25, 1929. She was the fifth child of the late Pedro Mendoza and Vincenta Ruiz Mendoza. She was the sister of the late Anna Mendoza Robles, Alejo Mendoza, Carmelo Mendoza, Hipolito Mendoza, Cruz Mendoza and Felicita Mendoza Monje.
As a young adult, Herminia earned her living as a live-in maid for rich families in San Juan Puerto Rico. She wasn’t too proud to take menial jobs to support herself and help her younger siblings. She was a hard-working woman with a strength no one could challenge. She later moved to New York City for better job opportunities to earn a living to continue to help her siblings in Puerto Rico.
Herminia met the love of her life, the late Jose Portalatin in 1949 and married one year later in New York City. Herminia and Jose had eight children, Norma Iris Portalatin, Abraham Portalatin, Samuel Portalatin, David Portalatin, Elizabeth Portalatin, Daniel Portalatin, Elias Portalatin and Esther Portalatin. Herminia and Jose were married for fifty years before he went home to be with The Lord.
She was a devoted Christian who loved The Lord and was an exemplary example of a Christ-like life. Her faith in God never wavered, even in her sickness. She taught her eight children, grandchildren and great grandchildren that serving The Lord is never in vain and having complete Faith in God will never fail. Her walk with The Lord was a noncompromising one. Her strength came from The Lord and throughout her illness she continued to smile and call on God.
Herminia became a bible scholar. She studied Theology and later taught at a Christian Bible Institute and taught an adult bible class on Sundays at her church where she served for over 50 years. She touched many lives. She became a mother to those who didn’t have one and a dedicated friend to those who needed encouragement. Her life was a living legend of serving Christ.
Herminia is survived by her eight children, fourteen grandchildren and twenty-three great grandchildren. Herminia’s love for others was endless and her beautiful smile will forever be engraved in our hearts. She will be greatly missed.
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