Mercedes L. Fernández

Beloved wife of the late Rafael F. Fernandez peacefully passed away in her home on Good Friday, April 22, 2011 ending a full and wonderful life while surrounded by the love of her family. She will be greatly missed by all those whose life she touched.

Mercy leaves behind her son Ralph C. Fernandez and wife Isabel, daughter Mechy F. Wright and husband Jesse, five grandchildren Lisa Eaton, Cristy Strong, Troy Kent, Dean Kent and Adriana Fernandez, and eight great grandchildren, Isabella, Tyler, Gabriella, Francesca, Amelia, Veronica, Daniela and Braden.

She was born in Cardenas, Cuba and immigrated to the United States in 1966. She was married for 55 years to the first and only love of her life. She was the oldest of eight children and the matriarch of her family. Mercy was a homemaker while living in Cuba but used her talent as a seamstress to work for Vogue Fashions once she arrived in the United States. She made Tampa her second home and proudly followed, supported and cheered her grandchildren and great grandchildren until her death. She had an incredible gift of building lifelong relationships while finding the good in everyone who crossed her path. She was a member of Incarnation Catholic Church and later, St. Lawrence Catholic Church. Her faith helped her endure the loss of her home, parents, siblings, possessions and homeland which she had to leave behind to escape Communism; she dedicated her life to supporting and nurturing her passion, her family. Everyone that met her admired her for her beauty, poise, kindness and elegance. We will all miss her love of life and family, her wisdom, wit and devotion. The world has lost a wonderful woman. The only love that could approach the love she had for her family is the love her family had for her.

A memorial mass celebrating her life will be held on Wednesday May 4th at 10:30am at St. Lawrence Catholic Church 5225 N. Himes Avenue in Tampa. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in her name be made to LifePath Hospice, 3010 W. Azeele Street, Tampa, FL 33609.