Thelma La Dean Herrera was born in Houston, Texas on October 4, 1947 to Thelma Irene Reneau and Rabbit Bunch Woodard. She passed away peacefully at her home in Highlands, Texas on July 26, 2021 at the age of 73.
She married Gusman Martinez Herrera on September 5, 1964. They were married for 47 years, until his death on September 10, 2010. They had 4 children: Elisa, Gusman III, Matthew, and La Tessa. She had 10 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, and numerous other family members that loved her.
She worked as a nurse for over 40 years. She worked in triage of the hospital and she didn't like it. She saw too many horrible things and she said she got into nursing to help people and bring life into the world, not to deal with horrific trauma and death. So, she switched to labor and delivery and that's why she loved labor and delivery because she helped bring new life into the world.
She was a cancer survivor. She beat cancer twice, quadruple bypass surgery, and kidney failure.
She enjoyed doing genealogy and researching everything she could about her Native American heritage, she loved doing crafts; such as dream catchers and Indian bead work. She enjoyed going to garage sales, thrift stores, and traveling. She also loved spending time with her family.
"Although you are gone in life, you are still with us in our hearts and minds. We are sad that you are not with us, but happy because we know you are in a joyful place where we will meet you again".