Maria G. Hernandez

Lupe dedicated her life to raising her children to be honorable, hard-working, and united; she settled for nothing less than those values. She took great pride in seeing her family thrive.

Shortly after her husband’s retirement, Lupe decided to follow his lead. Lupe retired from the school district in 1994 after 20 years of service as a cafeteria team member.

Do not be fooled. Despite retirement, she still enjoyed cooking wonderful meals for her family and guests. Making everyone feel at home just came naturally to her. One dish, in particular, was always in high demand no matter what time of day, and that was her famous chorizo con papas. Of course, who can forget her annual tamale cooking marathon, which started at 4 a.m. and lasted well into late afternoon. Her tamales, paired with her husband’s homemade salsa, were legendary.

With so much time on her hands after retirement, she and her husband decided it was time to start their next chapter. That is when Manuel and Lupe decided to purchase property in Pleasanton, TX, in 1992, which they named “El Ranchito.” Lupe spent most of her retirement mornings driving out to the ranch with her husband to water her fruit trees and help him tend to their cows (aka “the girls”). After the work was done, they’d relax in the casita before heading home for the night. She even took up knitting and crocheting as a hobby to pass the time while her husband napped. If you ever called and asked her where they were going, you were guaranteed to hear her say, “I’ll give you two guesses, and the first one doesn’t count,” or if she was in the mood to sing it was just the one line from a country song “…on the road again”. They were blessed with almost three decades of watching their property become more than just land; it became a place to enjoy reflecting on their accomplishments and where their family could gather to make memories. The daily drive continued until early 2021.

Let us find peace and happiness knowing that Manuel and Lupe are united again, proudly watching over their family and rejoicing for the blessings that they receive.

Lupe always ended her phone calls with her children and grandchildren with the same loving reminder, “take care of each other; I love you.” Let us remember those words daily and honor them in her name.

She is survived by her children: Ruben Hernandez, Diana (William) Chavez, Esther (Ruben Edward) Delgado, Gloria (Robert) Nolen, Edward (Estela) Hernandez, and Clara (Gray) Sanders; grandchildren; and great-grandchildren.