Cruz Hernandez

Cruz Hernandez
April 29, 1946 – April 10, 2018

Cruz Hernandez was often heard saying “Lo que Dios quere” and it was the will of God to have her join him in heaven on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, after a full life of serving him. A time for family to receive friends will be from 5-8 PM on Friday April 13, 2018, at Hillier Funeral Home of COLLEGE STATION with a Life Message Service to begin at 6:30 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Santa Theresa Catholic Church in Bryan beginning at 11 AM on Saturday, April 14, 2018, with interment to follow at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery.

Cruz was born on April 29, 1946, to Juan and Rosa Contreras in Caldwell. She grew up in a large traditional Hispanic Catholic family with eleven younger sisters: Mary, Mary Helen, Estela, Janie, Josie, Carmen, Rosa, Guadalupe, Susie, Teresa, and Isabel. The family worked together as migrant workers traveling the states during the summer months , and depended on this to raise their large family. Being the eldest, Cruz learned to cook and assist her parents in caring for her siblings. She was also the child that her father looked to as a leader of the family in their absence and after completing the 9th grade, she left school to devote more time to the family needs. In her spare time, Cruz continued to learn by reading any book she could get her hands on. Later in life she completed her GED to illustrate to her kids how important and education is.

It was at a picnic with family and friends where Cruz met the love of her life, Marselo Hernandez. Their first date was at a drive-in movie, but being proper, each drove their own cars and met there. Being from a strict Catholic home, Cruz and Marselo had to carefully plan their meetings even though Cruz was in her twenty’s. The two finally wed at Santa Theresa Catholic Church on May 1, 1971 – a day etched in Cruz’s memory as one of the greatest days of her life.

Coming from humble beginnings, everyday hard work was typical for Cruz and together with Marselo, they were committed in providing a good life for their family. In addition to regularly providing home-cooked meals for her family, Cruz regularly worked over forty hours per week, taking odd, late-night jobs. Throughout all of the trials of life that Cruz encountered, she persistently kept an optimistic attitude and trusted in her strong faith that obeying God’s Will is how she will live. She persevered through her joy-filled life as a selfless, humble, loving servant placing God as her priority. She was a devoted member of Santa Theresa Catholic Church and served with the Guadalupanas and the Charismatic Group. In addition to providing for her family, she regularly made her delicious beans, rice and tamales whenever the occasion called for friends and family alike..

Cruz worked for GTE as a telephone operator and later at Texas A&M as an emergency dispatcher. For enjoyment, when she was not cooking for others, she crocheted, gardened, and continued to read throughout her life.

Mourning Cruz’s passing, yet also celebrating the Eternal Life she now enjoys is her husband of 47 years, Marselo, children: Janie Petruccio (Scott), John Hernandez (Mavis), Veronica Koite (Micah), Crystal Freitag (Dave), grandchildren: Matthew, Joshua, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Ava, Emma, Luke, Kyle, Braden, Gabriel, and sisters: Mary Helen Savala, Janie Morales, Josie Schwedler, Carmen Maxwell, Rosa Munoz, Guadalupe Contreras, Susie Contreras, Teresa Ibarra, and Isabel Alfaro.