Nancy Hernandez Sanchez

Nancy “Kinnie Leos” Sanchez passed away on Sunday, July 21, 2019 in Visalia, California at the age of 88. She was born on October 31, 1930 in Visalia. Nancy was preceded in death by her mother, Rosa Sedillo, her sister, Connie Reveles, and her two daughters, Celia and Margie. She is survived by her daughter, Valentina, and her sons, Dan, Veraldo, Billy, Stuart, and Ed. She left behind 21 grandchildren, 38 great-grandchildren, 17 great-great-grandchildren, and numerous other relatives and close friends.

In her younger years, Nancy worked in the fields as a farm laborer, at packing sheds, and as a table server. Later in life, she worked as a nurse’s aide at a convalescent home and at Kaweah Delta Hospital as a housekeeper and interpreter for Spanish speaking patients. For most of her life, she was politically active. She was a firm supporter of the United Farm Workers Union during the 1960s, holding union meetings at her home, volunteering at the union hall in Poplar, CA, and participating in many marches and demonstrations. In the 1970s, she attended Colegio de la Tierra, a Chicano junior college. She also served as an organizer with the Pace Setters and the Huaztecas, a dance group devoted to empowering youth in Northside Visalia, and as a volunteer helping to ensure health care for infants. During the 1980s, she was a member of the International Committee Against Racism (InCAR), protesting racial injustice.

Nancy was the family historian with a wealth of stories and dates about the Sedillo and Santana families, and relatives would often contact her for that information. She enjoyed cooking, sharing recipes, and teaching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to cook. She loved to crochet and once made a table cloth with the image of “The Last Supper.” She loved music and parties, and her kitchen was often the site of dancing and celebration. Her grandchildren will remember fondly that she taught them how to dance “the Freeze” and “the Stroll.” She loved fishing with family and friends, enjoyed taking long rides through the countryside, and some people claim that her salsa was the best in Visalia. She adored her two dogs, Fierovas and Rusty, who died of old age after many years of faithful companionship. She had beautiful long straight hair that was still black well into her eighties. In her later years, she enjoyed visiting the casinos because, in her view, life was a gamble in which we all take chances—sometimes winning, sometimes losing. She was a devout Catholic and recited the rosary every morning before starting her day, but she would be the first to say that she was no saint. Not least of all, her home was always a revolving door for anyone who needed help.

Nancy had the smile of a beauty queen and the laughter of an angel. She will be sorely missed and forever remembered by those who loved her.

A Memorial Service will be held at Miller Memorial Chapel, 1120 West Goshen Avenue in Visalia, on Saturday, August 24 at 2pm.

Tributes and condolences may be made at www.millerchapel.com.

Arrangements entrusted to Miller Memorial Chapel, 1120 W. Goshen Ave., Visalia, CA (559) 732-8371.