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Anita Herrera

July 26, 1926 — February 2, 2018

Anita Herrera

Anita Gonzales Herrera passed away Friday, February 2, 2018 at the age of 91.

Anita was born July 26, 1926 in Karnes City, Texas to Santiago Gonzales and Delores Machio, both of whom were farm workers who picked cotton. One of seven children, Anita grew up as a spitfire. When her daddy would go into town, she would ask him to go to the general store and get her some candy. If he showed up without her candy, she would throw a fit until he went back into town and got it for her. While she and her sisters were sleeping at night, her mother would sew them dresses. Her dresses had to have front pockets. If not, she would throw a fit and either refuse to wear it or rip it apart because it wasn’t done right. Anita had a happy childhood, being indulged by her parents. She had fond memories of riding her tricycle down the wide hallway of her childhood home while smelling the delicious sugar and cinnamon aroma of the homemade pastries her mother made.

Anita met the love of her life, Raul P. “Roy” Herrera outside the Downtown Palace Theater. He was getting off a bus after serving in the military while she was standing in line. Their eyes met, and he joined the line with her. They went to the movies together that night and were married for the next 66 years. The two were blessed with six children: Mary Ann, Gloria, Rosie, Roy Jr., Sara, and Thomas. They were here jewels and she loved them all. She enjoyed taking care of them and became very protective of them, especially after becoming a grandmother. Anita maintained a little of her independence through her work. She was a custodial worker for Texas A&M for a time and then worked in housekeeping for different hotels. She took pride in being punctual and in a job well done. She loved having her own money to spend.

Anita lived for family gatherings. She looked forward all year to Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas parties. She especially loved her birthday. She made sure everyone knew well in advance that her birthday was coming up and was not shy about asking what plans everyone had made for celebrating her day. She enjoyed being around a lot of people – especially if there was music, dancing, and barbeque involved. She also loved gardening and was known for her amazing green thumb. She could grow plants from seedlings or even from a stem of another plant. She was especially good with roses and loved the color red. Anita loved putting on garage sales and often did very well with the plants she had nurtured.

Anita was proud of her Catholic faith. She knew God was always present in her life, and she showed her love of Him through her care of her family. She was blessed to have been part of five generations of family spending time together. She is reunited with her beloved husband Roy and her son-in-law Jessie Hernandez. Anita leaves behind her daughter Mary Ann Hernandez, her daughter and son-in-law Gloria and Evaristo Gonzalez, her daughter and son-in-law Rosie H. and Robert Sauseda, her son and daughter-in-law Roy Jr. and Rosie Herrera, her daughter and son-in-law Sara H. and Roy M. Ramirez, her son and daughter-in-law Tommy and Carol Herrera, 13 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, and 16 great-great-grandchildren.

To honor Anita’s life, her family has planned a visitation from 5-8 PM on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at Hillier Funeral Home of Bryan. A Catholic Burial Rite will begin at 11 AM on Thursday, February 8, 2018 in the Chapel of Hillier Funeral Home of Bryan with burial to follow at Bryan City Cemetery.
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