At the age of 14, she lost her father and, as a result, had to quit school in order to help financially provide for her family.
She married Ernesto Chacon on November 1, 1952. They had two sons, Jose Ernesto Jr. and Facundo Chacon, both now deceased, in 1958 their only daughter Grace was born in New York. She was able to make money by selling Avon and Stanley products, as well as taking care of children in the neighborhood, in order to continue being able to send money back to her mother in Honduras. Eventually, she and her husband were able to help extended family move into the United States.
In the summer of 1958, they traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana. They stayed at the home of Ernesto’s mother and his sister Elena, two months later they moved to New York, looking for a better life for the family; where they immediately got very active with the community through the Catholic Church.
In 1998, Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras. This tragic event was the catalyst for Graciela, her husband Ernesto, and other concerned Hondurans in Central Florida to form Honduras Relief Efforts, Inc., a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping the impoverished people of Honduras through donations by generous individuals and businesses. For the last 20 years, Graciela served as the treasurer for the organization and worked tirelessly to further HREs mission, including trips back to her homeland to help the impoverished people. Her desire to help others did not end with HRE as she also assisted countless other needy people within the Central Florida community, whether it was through her church or through word of mouth, she always did what she could to help those in need.
For sure she would be missed by family and many friends as Graciela’s loving touch was felt by all.
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