Beloved Mother and Grandmother
Virginia Herrera, née Ramirez, 87, passed away on October 17, 2022, in Houston, Texas.
Virginia was born on October 31, 1934 to Jose and Porfidia Ramirez in Houston, Texas. Orphaned at a young age, Virginia grew up at the Kezia Payne DePelchin Faith Home (now known as the DePelchin Children’s Center) and the Mary Burnett School. Rising against great odds, she excelled throughout school and — after graduating top in her high school class — was awarded a full scholarship to nursing school. She became a certified x-ray technician, for which she was recognized as the top technician in the state of California, and studied at Dominican College, University of St. Thomas and the University of Houston Clear Lake, where she earned a master’s degree in nursing and graduated as one of the top students in the state of Texas.
Virginia married Angel Herrera and together they raised three daughters in the San Francisco Bay Area and city of Houston. She remained a very close and loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother through all her remaining years.
Throughout her life, Virginia was fascinated by the human mind and was imbued with the desire to give back to others. Over the course of her career, she returned to the DePelchin Children’s Center where she served as a nurse, working with adolescents for several years. She also worked in numerous hospitals across Houston.
Virginia was preceded in death by her husband Angel and sister Sara Alvarado. She is survived by her sisters, Lupe Ramirez and Irene McManus; daughters, Rebecca George, Sylvia Klapesky and Ophelia Nieves; grandchildren, Amy Guerra, Natalie Thayer and Ginny Nieves; and great grandchildren, Zachary Guerra and Isabella Guerra.
A service and burial are scheduled for Saturday, October 29 at 10 a.m. in Forest Park Lawndale’s large chapel, located at 6900 Lawndale, Houston, Texas 77023. A reception will follow in the Lawndale Reception Hall.
