Dear Friends, Family, and kind-hearted strangers,

Our beloved Teresita Kenyon (Tessie) was in hospice at home and passed away this morning, Friday December 20th.

Many of you may remember her and her house in Kendall (Miami) Florida that hosted not only every family member at one time or another but also their friends from school, work, wherever. It was a place you could go to hang out, work on your car, or even escape abuse or difficult living environment. She had an open door policy and rarely turned anyone away whether they were, family, friend, friend-of-friend, even stray cat and offering a place to relax, eat, enjoy and share in the Mendoza hospitality.

As we come to terms with the impending loss and try to cherish every last moment with her as the miracle this time is. We also face the difficult task of arranging her final farewell. We want to give her the dignified and heartfelt memorial she deserves, but unfortunately the financial burden of funeral expenses is overwhelming for our family during this already challenging time. As some of you may remember, in 2016 we lost Paula Mendoza, Tessie’s granddaughter suddenly and unexpectedly. As she was only 29, she had not made arrangements for what should happen in her passing. Exhibiting the generosity, Tessie is known for, she gave up her own funeral plot next to her late husband so that Paula could have a final resting place. And when, in 2017, Paula’s father, Tessie’s son Guillermo Mendoza III (Billy) suddenly died as well, Tessie again generously arranged for him to be buried near his daughter. Because of her they have a final resting place. In the intervening years, she contributed her savings towards finding another resting place for herself but financial difficulties and a small fixed income has made this challenging and funeral expenses will likely surpass what she has been able to save. So we humbly ask you to please consider her generosity to you and others and consider helping contribute to her funeral expense fund so she may have a final resting place and memorial befitting her life.