My name is Anna Dominguez I just wanted to send my condolences to the family of Joe Hernandez.  He was a good and loving man I can't believe that his has passed.  Jimmy please call me at 5624791909

Dear Alfred: Our childhood friendships and positive memories  strengthen us for life.  Every kindness renews our soul.  I am sure your friendship meant a lot to Joe and that he remembered you fondly.  Thank you for your remembrance.  May you go in Peace.

I grew up with Joe, we went to Sultana and Dinuba schools together. He was one of my best friends then. I'm not surprised on how he is remembered because that was him when I knew him. I lost contact with him after high school, now o know that was
My loss. Rest in
Peace my Brother.

Dear Michael Villalovos:  A big thank you for posting a photo of Joe with his coworkers.  The family is deeply appreciative.  How did the quiet one get a front row seat smack in the middle?  We love it!  
Vivian

Dear David, we thank you for your kind thoughts. Peace to you.
If anyone at work has photos to share, please ask them to send to 559.259.8899 or vivianf@mail.fresnostate.edu
Vivian Franco

I worked with Joe for three years at El Segundo and from the first day he treated me like an old friend. We worked together on several occasions and I was always glad to be working with him. Joe always had a joke or a kind word and was always there to assist with any task. He will be missed by all that knew him. 
David B. Hawkins

Eulogy for Joe Hernandez
Today, we commend Joes soul to God, but I can tell you that Joe would be uncomfortable with all this attention.  Thats because Joes life was about deeds not words; about action and compassion.  That was Joe: humble and unassuming but at the same time witty and of generous spirit. To give you an example of his wit, today he would be saying wow those pallbearers look sharp in their blue shirts, but I dont think it is a good idea to wear the same shirt as the dead guy.  By the way, most of you know Joe as Kinny Boy.  He got that nickname because our grandfather called him Skinny Boy.  Eventually, Skinny boy became Kinny Boy.  Most of you know that Joe was raised by our grandmother whom he would call Ahma.  When Joe was born, our mother was a single mother to five kids.  So my grandmother watched Joe and she ended up raising him.  But it was not a loss to us because our house was just behind our grandmothers house on the same lot.  Joe would refer to our mother as la otra mama.  He would say Ahma, voy a ir con la otra Mama.  We laugh now but it never seemed strange then.
He was our quiet shy little brother with straight hair and a dimpled smile.  Where he got those dimples we will never know.  When he was in first grade, he was proud to learn how to write his name.  On the corner of his school work he wrote: Joe He. We chuckled quietly and showed him how to do it right. Since he was closest in age to the three rowdy sisters, it wasnt long before he lost some of his quiet demeanor.  We taught him good.  Eventually, there were seven of us, and we were our own little gang.  Playing kick the can in the street way past dark, riding our bikes to Smith Mountain and exploring caves, dipping in the canals on hot summer days, and on Memorial Day walking with our grandmother two miles to the cemetery while pulling a red Radio Flyer wagon with fresh picked flowers resting in coffee cans that magically became vases for family headstones.  Did I mention him shooting his BB gun at empty food cans and make pretend monsters?  Didnt you see him in his cowboy costume in the photo collage?  He was a cute fun loving kid.  During his last stay in the hospital he had time to reminisce and he remembered the time I gave him chocolate candy only to discover that it was exlax.  Sometimes the fun we had was almost enough to forget we grew up in poverty.

After high school Joe served in the U.S. Navy from 1973-1977 where he tested and repaired the electrical/electro-mechanical systems of aircraft including the U.S. Navy F-14 fighter. He served on the USS John F Kennedy, the sixth longest naval ship in the world. We had two scares when he was in the Navy.  First, in November 1975, the Kennedy collided with the cruiser Belknap, severely damaging the smaller ship.  The Belknaps superstructure was gutted, fuel lines were ruptured and both ships caught fire.  A petty officer was killed on the USS Kennedy and seven crew members lost their lives on the Belknap.  Joe never spoke of these incidents and instead wrote about being anchored on Augusta Bay off of Sicily where he visited the volcano Mt. Etna and of his travel to Spain where he visited the Seville Cathedral.   We are certain he did not want to worry us.  Our second scare was the following year when he was hospitalized with pneumonia and was eventually airlifted from the USS Kennedy to a hospital in Lakenheath, England where an operation removed part of his lung.  When he finished his tour and was honorably discharged he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal.  

He served his country proudly and he continued that dedication to country while working at Northrop Grumann Corporation in El Segundo.  Joe recently retired from a 31 year career as an Electrical Instrumentation Technician at Northrop where he worked on aircraft systems and achieved Top Secret Clearance and had assignments on classified programs.  We never asked about his work and he never offered anything regarding his projects. 
I recently discovered letters he wrote home while in the Navy.  While away at sea, he continued to be the dutiful son, sending money to help our mother and younger brother.  He would write, Mom here is $20.  It is all I can give right now because I am still paying for the car that I bought from John.  But let me know if you are in need and I will help out somehow.   Robert here is $20 to spend however you want.  When Robert, our youngest brother, was about to start high school, Joe wrote: I wish I was there to help you with your school work or anything else you need help with. But since I am not, I can only wish you luck.  You are an intelligent man, but if you cant solve a problem, dont give up. Keep on trying until you solve it by yourself or ask somebody for some help.  If you dont understand something, ask the instructor to explain it.  Dont ever get the attitude of I Dont Care.  I am sure that this is advice that works today for his son and grandchildren.   
When he returned from the Navy he lived with me and Bob in Lakewood.  We had finished college and were living in Southern Cal which was a good place for Joe to find a job. One of the fun things we introduced him to was dirt bike riding in the desert.  Feeling adventurous he rode my motorcycle really fast and never saw the ravine until it was too late.  All we saw was the bike dip out of sight and his body go flying in the air, legs high, way high.  After we got the bike up he had a pained look on his face, but he smiled and said that was fun.  Of course he was bruised and sore for a couple of weeks. Another time when we took him to the races at Laguna Seca race track, he underestimated the effects of alcohol while picnicking in the hot summer sun.  He was sick all the way home. He learned a lesson that day.

If you were to write a book about Joes life, it would be one page and it would have three words:

HARDWORK:   duty and responsibility
INTEGRITY:   honesty, dignity, honor
FAMILY:   caring, compassion, support, unconditional love

Joes life was about helping others: caring for his grandmother during her final illness, sending money home when he had little to spare, helping care for his grandson while Jimmy was in the Army, and helping his son transition home after serving two tours in Iraq.  He recently bought a home in Lake Isabella and was able to enjoy quiet hours on the lake.  He also enjoyed traveling to visit his sisters in northern California even when he was feeling tired.  He enjoyed visiting and learning about the latest adventures of the grandnieces and nephews.  

When someone enters your heart, it is never just one thing that endears someone to you.  It is a series of acts of kindness and generosity and complete acceptance of anothers goodness as well as their faults and weaknesses.  We should all be reminded about the opportunities for more compassion in our lives. 

When we consider Joes legacy, I ask you to imagine a poor boy who grew up with no indoor plumbing, who played on dirt fields and became a technician working on complex electrical and mechanical systems of the United States most advanced aircraft.  Imagine a single father who did all he could to provide the right path for his son and grandchildren.  Imagine a dutiful son who did all he could to make his family proud. Joe did all that and I hope that it provides inspiration to all of you, especially Jimmy, Anthony, and Robert.  

In his final days at the hospital, Joe was kind and caring and grateful that Jimmy was with him day and night.  Although he was initially reluctant for us to travel to watch over him, in the end he was happy that we were there to provide support.  He was patient even in illness, polite and respectful to the nurses, technicians, and doctors up to his last day, and loving to his son and grandson.  My favorite singer is Nina Simone.  In her song Compassion, she writes The master in his infinite mercy offers the boon of death.  Joe knew that his body was tired.  His last words to Jimmy were I love you.  As Jimmy says My dad was my heart.  Well, he was that; he was that and much more. 

The poet Aeschylus wrote:

Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget
falls drop by drop upon the heart, 
until, in our own despair,
against our will,
comes wisdom
through the awful grace of God.

Losing Joe has been painful, but we know that he is in Gods warm embrace. 
I was always proud to call Joe my brother.  Joe was the last remaining member of my family to call me Viviana. I will miss that and the kindness he showed to my son.  I am glad to say that in the final days, we were still our own little gang looking out for one another.  And, after 64 years of age, Joe was still our Kinny Boy.  We love you Joe and will miss you forever.

Vivian Franco, Sept. 16, 2017.

OBITUARY

Joe Hernandez

August 7, 1953 – September 6, 2017

Dopkins Funeral Chapel

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