Horacio Jacobo Fernandez

Horacio Jacobo Fernandez, 89, passed away peacefully at his St. Dominic’s Village home on November 25, 2019 with his family by his side in Houston, Texas. He was a loving and devoted husband, a beloved father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend.

Horacio was born on November 28, 1929 in Cardenas, Cuba. He was the youngest of two siblings. He was born in his mother’s childhood home, which housed the Ignacio Cervantes Conservatory of Music, where his grandfather was director, igniting a lifelong love of classical music. As a young boy, Horacio loved going to the movies and spent many happy summers at his grandmother’s home in Havana, following in the grand adventures of many aunts and uncles and their various professions. Each inspired and formed him as a person. In particular, he was close to his uncle, the priest, who invited him as an altar server to assist with Latin mass in parishes around the Havana area and with his uncle, the doctor, with whom he went on rounds at the hospital.

In 1952, he graduated from the School of Pharmacology at the University of Havana. During and after college, he helped run the family pharmacy, La Pharmacia Horacio Fernandez Del Moral in Cardenas. After his father’s death, the pharmacy was sold and Horacio pursued his interest in land surveying and began work at the Cuban Telephone Company.

In November 1956, he married Mirta Llerena, a pretty telephone operator. The year 1959 was pivotal for their beloved country with the start of the communist revolution and in 1965, Horacio and Mirta immigrated to the United States with their young children, Mirta and Horacio, where they prospered and welcomed a daughter, Rosa.

While in the United States, Horacio mastered the English language and became an American citizen while working as an Electrical Designer in the petroleum industry. He was lighthearted and well known for his sense of humor and fulfilled his interest of electronics and photography through building hi-fi speakers and a darkroom. Together, Horacio and Mirta enjoyed time with family, cooking and watching the Houston Astros.

Horacio is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Mirta Llerena Fernandez; their children, Mirta Foster, Horacio Fernandez and Rosa Smith; their spouses Warren, Kevin and Brooke; his grandchildren Benjamin Foster and wife Rebecca, William Foster, Kayleigh Smith, Alyssa Smith and great granddaughter Rose Foster. He is also survived by his sister, Josefina Gutierrez, her children and many cousins and friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to St. Dominic’s Village, which serves the needs of many in the Houston area.

A rosary and funeral mass will be held at 10 am in Warren Chapel located at St. Dominic’s Village on December 2, 2019 followed by internment at Earthman Resthaven Cemetery,13102 North Fwy. Houston, TX 77060.