Anthony Hernandez

When Anthony Hernandez walked into the room, those in his company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Anthony was and how he impacted those around him. Anthony was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Anthony wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Anthony was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve him well throughout his life.

Anthony was born on December 10, 1990 at Mercy San Juan Hospital in Carmichael, California. He was the son of Jesse and Maria Hernandez. Anthony was raised in Fair Oaks, California. Always at the ready with a good joke, he grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Anthony might describe him as an idealist, his friends and family understood well that Anthony was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to him.

Anthony was raised with 4 siblings. He had 3 older brothers, Tavo, Ty and Carlos and one older sister Eileen. Anthony was very accepting and supportive of his family. He was perceived as the central person in his family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Anthony was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Anthony well in his adult life and, along with his wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew him.

As a young boy, Anthony was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew him into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Anthony was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with his peers. He was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. In his spare time he liked to play in the water, an loved to play at the park. Anthony had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity he and the many childhood friends he shared might discover. Anthony loved and cherished his dog Max, a Boston Terrier, a best friend for almost 18 years.

During his high school years, Anthony responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. He graduated from Bella Vista High School in 2009. Anthony was a very good student, and generally did well in his courses. Anthony absorbed as much as he could from all of his teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using his imagination to master his assignments. For Anthony, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to his ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Anthony a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to him to discuss just about anything. His favorite class in high school was glass art and he was very good in math class. The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was Ms. Uno. Anthony made a lasting impression on his teachers and friends. He also loved to travel the world with his family. In high school, Anthony was a member of the Pink Ladies, a Breast Cancer Awareness group.

He earned his Welding Certificate up to Level 3 from Harbor Occupational Center in San Pedro, CA. Anthony was very adaptable, a quality that helped him in his life. As a result, Anthony's problem solving skills and thirst for new knowledge almost guaranteed that he enjoyed learning new things. Anthony was always in quest of new things to learn and experience

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought him an endless stream of friends, Anthony was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Anthony was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. He always seemed aware of what was going on with people around him and throughout his life he made many, friends. While growing up, some of his friends were Joseph Melendez, Bobby Melendez, Delbert Valadez, Josh Martin, David Jones, Dayvon Scott, Brandon Cruz, Xuanet Aubry, Anna, Juan and Louie. Later in life, he became friends with Eddy Hernandez, Jocilyn Briggs, Alex Hiatt, Rochelle Kardeay, Kassey Crooks, Matt Purol and Anya Thepot. He became best friends with his cousin Jose and Maria.

Anthony was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made him an exceptional worker. His primary occupation was a food server at La Placita. He graduated from Welding School in San Pablo in November 2011. He was recently hired with California Pavement Maintenance Co., Inc on Thursday, March 08, 2012 at 10:00 am. He was employed for 5 years. Anthony was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize him. Anthony had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of his gift for insight. Anthony's fellow workers saw him as a supporter and a mentor.

Because Anthony loved to have a broad variety of activities in his life, he took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Anthony enjoyed working on cars, playing with his nieces and nephews and enjoyed discovering new music. Just recently he experienced the excitement of zip lining, working out and jogging. Anthony had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of his favorite pastimes. However, Anthony's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Anthony derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. His charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. Anthony was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Top on his list were fishing, hiking, taking his nieces and nephews to the river and being one with nature. His passion was cars.

Anthony's love of improvising in his daily life was a perfect fit for his enjoyment of traveling. His favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit his personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Anthony took his vacations seriously, well, as seriously as he possibly could. Favorite vacations included anywhere he went with his family.

Anthony Hernandez passed away on March 8, 2012 at Mercy San Juan Hospital, Carmichael, CA. Anthony's life was tragically cut short in a car accident on Thursday, March 08, 2012. Our greatest consolation is that Anthony passed away happy. The day he passed, Anthony had just been hired to a new job as a welder. He was really happy and pumped. He was having the best day of his life, everything was going great. This is the only explanation for Anthony driving so fast down Madison Blvd, He was flying high on happiness. We are so relieved that it was s solo accident and no one else was hurt. He is survived by parents, Jesse and Maria Hernandez, brothers, Carlos and Ty, his sister Eileen, his nieces and nephews, Gabby, Frances, Vincent, Hailie, Maria, Jason, Anthony, also Leslie, Alondra, Allen and many more friends. Services were held at Mount Vernon Memorial Park in the Church of the Valley. Anthony was laid to rest at Mount Vernon Memorial Park in the Garden of Tranquility.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Anthony. He was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. He had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While he was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Anthony Hernandez for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Anthony was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with his loved ones.

Below are some of Anthony's Quotes:

"Holy Guacamole"

"According to my Calculations"

"That's What She Said"

"Did You Get Tickets to the Show....The Gun Show!!!"

"Ayy...Miiraaaa!!!!"

"Amanduhhhh"

"I Was Just Testing You"

"Anything is an Adventure"