San Juanita Hernandez

San Juanita Hernandez, 76 years of age from Visalia, Ca, passed away peacefully on February 22nd, 2023, in the presence of her children. She was born on June 14th, 1946 in San Francisco del Rincon, Guanajuato, Mexico. Her family immigrated to the United States where her family eventually settled in Laredo, Texas. After graduating high school, Nita attended and graduated from a private college where she studied business and accounting. While attending college she met and fell in love with Paul Hernandez. Nita would spend the next 4 years writing letters and planning a future wedding when Paul returned from the Vietnam War. During this time, Nita had moved from Texas to Cutler, Ca with her parents and siblings. In September 1967, Paul and Nita married. Together they had two children and in 1977 moved to Visalia, CA. Nita was a hard-working and loving mother. She was active in her children's education, sporting events, and musical endeavors. Nita worked for over 20 years in an accounting role at Moore Business Forms. She later worked for NDS where she supported company staff in a Human Resources role. In addition to having a successful career, Nita joined Holy Family Catholic Church where she grew spiritually and became an active member of the community. Nita took initiative to study and became a U.S. citizen. She then went on to help countless others within the church community to become naturalized citizens. Nita and Paul strengthened their marriage and devotion to others by providing marriage encounter classes. They would also go on to lead spiritual retreats in both English and Spanish. Nita supported her husband in becoming a Deacon. She enjoyed learning and studied alongside him during the Diaconate formation classes and was a devoted wife until she was widowed. Although she deeply missed her husband, Nita remained active in planning church retreats and mentoring new leaders up until her final days. Nita will be lovingly remembered by her two children, Paul Hernandez Jr. and Cynthia Gutierrez. Her daughter-in-law, Mariana Matei Hernandez and son-in-law, Jose Luis Gutierrez. Nita will be remembered by her 7 grandchildren Audree Pena, Paul Hernandez III, Marissa Hernandez, Emma Hernandez, Gabriela Gutierrez, Nicolas Gutierrez, and Carlo Gutierrez. She will also be remembered by her 9 great grandchildren. She is survived by 2 of her sisters. The family would like to thank the team at Keck Medicine of USC for the exceptional care, kindness, and compassion in Nita's final days. We thank everyone for all the love, support, and prayers. Services will be held Tuesday, March 14th at St. Mary's Church in Visalia, California. A viewing will be held at 9am followed by a Rosary Service at 9:30am. The Funeral Mass will begin at 10:30am followed by a graveside ceremony at Smith Mountain Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Charles Borromeo in memory of Nita Hernandez. Please mail donations to: The Good Shepherd Catholic Parish, 506 N. Garden St. Visalia, Ca 93291. Services have been entrusted to Salser & Dillard Funeral Chapel. Memorial Tributes and condolences may be offered by logging onto www.salseranddillard.com.

San Juanita Hernandez

June 14, 1946 - February 22, 2023