Antonia Rios Hernandez, Community Leader

We are making this call to the community in honor of Antonia Rios Hernandez, whose life was cut short while working her landscaping job, by a reckless driver in Ave Maria, Florida on the afternoon of September 18th.

She leaves behind her husband, two daughters, her parents, siblings, and an Immokalee community mourning her loss. Antonia was a loving mother, passionate gardener, beekeeper, wife, and friend. She was an environmentalist and an important leader in all areas of community life here in Immokalee. She was involved in many community organizing circles, including the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Cultivate Abundance, Rural Neighborhoods, and grassroots community efforts to install a traffic light at a busy neighborhood intersection.

Antonia's life reflected a strong circle of community women who modeled bravery, strength, kindness, compassion, and resourcefulness. She stood out in her ability to spread joy at any opportunity. She was one of a kind.

Antonia was a true defender and activist of human rights, especially for women workers. She loved her community and had a vision for all the potential it held. She was a woman of strong faith, prioritizing being a role model of her values and beliefs to her family and community, especially her daughters. She was working hard to make her dreams and her family's dreams a reality. She would go to work focused on doing it to the best of her ability, conscious of the opportunity it afforded her to provide economically for her daughter. The loss of her life will greatly impact her family and this community. Her husband described her as the motor that runs at the heart of their family. This is why we are calling on our community, near and far, to gift their support in Antonia's memory so that the family can continue to live out her legacy. The funds will help support immediate needs since her passing, as well as help secure the future of her daughters, especially the eldest, Daniela, and her goal to finish her college degree at ABAC in Tifton, GA.

We are grateful to Antonia for building her community of support and we hope you will share her story and find a way to give.

Viewing services will be held in Immokalee at Brister Funeral Home, 221 N 3rd Street on Monday, Sept. 25th from 6-8pm

Funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of Guadalupe on Tue, Sept 26th at 10am.