Guillermina Vasquez

She was born Guillermina Hernandez in 1938 in Tepatitlan, Mexico, to her parents, Jose Hernandez Silva and Maria Casillas de Hernandez. Guillermina lived in Mexico, moving between Tepatitlan and Tijuana for the first 15 years of her life. At around 15 years old, she went to Los Angeles and attended Saint Anne’s Catholic School in Santa Monica for two years. At 17 she went back to Tijuana to care for her younger siblings while her parents went to Los Angeles to work and arrange for the family’s immigration papers.

While in Tijuana, she was introduced to Ernesto Vasquez by her older brother Juan Manuel, and three months later, on December 18, 1955, they were married. Guillermina moved to Los Angeles with Ernesto where they had their first three children, Carmen, Ernie Jr. and Albert. In 1960, the family moved to Spring Valley, California where they had three more children, Willy, Rosana and Audrey.

Guille and Ernie raised their six children in the same house where she lived 62 years until her recent passing. Guille was a housewife and stay at home mother for her family. She gave her children a sense of security that she felt was needed. She came to California not knowing the language, not having a drivers’ license and having an eighth grade education. She learned English and got her driver’s license and she, along with Ernesto made sure her children had what they needed to get through school and to allow all of them to participate in all sorts of activities. She was always there to drop off or pick up her children as needed and she always had food ready for her children and all of their friends. She made sure that her children had their bake sale goods when it was their turn to bring cupcakes for school lunches. She made play costumes, prom dresses and attended Saturday football games.

Guille gave her grandchildren that same sense of security. She was there for her grandsons, Andy, Wes and Ray when their mother, Carmen passed away and she was there for her granddaughters, Andrea and Chelsea when they needed support or just a good laugh. She was a comfort zone for Jared and Jacob where they knew they would always get bacon and Grandma’s beans and they would get to eat in front of the TV if that’s what they wanted to do. She was so very proud of her family. And she had enough love to go around for all of them. She was lucky to have enjoyed time with her six great grandchildren; Mikey, Rowan, Mina, Sunshine, Abraham and Sebastian.

Guille endured many heartaches. She and Ernie lost their oldest daughter Carmen in 1985 and their first born son, Ernie, in 2009. Guille also lost her husband Ernie in 2012 after 57 years of marriage. She was so strong. She somehow remained that security for all of her family even as her heart was breaking. She will be remembered for her strength and her quick wit. Countless people had the great experience of sitting around Guille’s dining room table and sharing conversation, laughs and of course her delicious food.

Guillermina is survived by sons, Albert and Willy Vasquez, her daughter Rosana Vasquez French and her daughter Audrey and son-in-law Jon Forte, her grandchildren, Andrew, Wesley and Raymond Sagebiel, Chelsea Beckleman, Andrea Adame and Jared and Jacob Forte, her six great grandchildren, Mikey McCarron, Rowan, Mina and Abraham Beckleman, Sunshine Sagebiel and Sebastian Adame. Guille is also survived by her siblings, Dolores Hernandez, Paul Hernandez, Ruben Hernandez, Linda Pinos and Daniel Hernandez.

May she rest in peace as the rest of us learn to navigate without having Guillermina - Mom - Grandma as our center.