Funeral for Araceli Hernandez

Our family appreciates donations to help cover funeral and memorial expenses for my mother, Araceli Hernandez Rivera.

Araceli was born in Mexico City in 1963 into a large family who had emigrated from Michoacan. Times were tough, and she worked from a young age. She told me that in her late teens and twenties, she held many jobs and worked for a bank, a pharmacy, and eventually a fashion designer who taught her how to sow and tailor. At the age of 27, she would have her first son (me) in 1990.

Four years later, she made the brave decision to leave behind her home, family, and friends, and head north to California with her only son. We arrived in Long Beach in the summer of 1994. She told me she didn't plan to stay in the US permnately, but then life happened. That first year was especially hard. Money was hard to come by and she had few friends in America, but through it all she always found a way to make sure we had a place to rest and food to eat. In Long Beach she met a man named Hugo Cisneros, who would eventually become my step-dad.

A year later, he would help her, myself, and her friend, Maria, move to South Gate where Maria's brother, Benito, took us into his home and rented us a room for a couple of years. In 1997, Hugo, my mother, and I would move to our own apartment and she'd give birth to my younger brother, David.

Throughout most of her life, she never stopped working as a seamstress / tailor. She first worked in a big shop in downtown LA, then for a friend, and eventually from home when she was able to afford her own sewing machines. Between her and my dad, they made sure we always had a roof over our heads, food on the table, and well fitting clothes.

She also instilled a deep love for learning and education in me. She never got a chance to pursue education beyond elementary school due to social norms of 1970s Mexico and being unable to afford further schooling. However, she loved to read and learn new things. She taught me what she could and by the time I was five, she had taught me how to multiply and read Spanish. She told me if she had the opportunity, she would have wanted to be an astronomer. Alas, she sacrificed her dreams so I could follow mine and so my brother and I could have a better life filled with more opportunities.

Along the way, she made a lot of friends and was one of the most gregarious and kindest persons I have ever known. She would always make time to help anyone she encountered that was in need, regardless of her own situation or problems at the time. She was deeply empathetic. She cared so much about others and I would often see just how hard other's problems would impact her. A natural nurturer, she hated to see others in pain and would always try to make things better. I am sure she left a positive impact on anyone who was fortunate enough to meet her.

She was loved by friends and family alike and will be dearly missed. We thank you for any donations to help cover her funeral expenses and to honor her memory.

RIP Araceli Hernandez Rivera 1963-2022.