Moises Herrera -- thirteen-year veteran of the Facilities Department at Five Acres; a man without pretense, without "an angle," without malice, spite or vindictiveness; father of two, friend of legion, passed away on Tuesday, 11/27/2018. 

He was the breadwinner for his family, and he didn't make much at all, so I've started this appeal to cover immediate and longer-term costs for his family.

Below the photos, you'll find more about our great friend, Moises.  





Moises, from the Yucatan, was proud of his Mayan heritage, frequently reminding me that the Mayans had a written language about twenty-five-hundred years before the Irish.  I conceded his point each time and limped off, head bowed. 

 His youngest daughter, Emily, age ten -- her middle name is Nicte-Ha, which he told me means, Flower of the Water, in Mayan.  Beautiful.  And so is she.

 He also spoke about Mayan legends, particularly the afterlife.  He reminded me that Mayan culture was centered on time.  He knew his family history and was aware that time beats us all, later or sooner.

 I recall him telling me that, after a person passes, one goes to the Underworld -- a horrible place -- but if one had nine good traits or deeds in one's life, one could climb back to earth; and if one had thirteen more, one could ascend to the heavens and live in eternal happiness and help those left behind.  Don't quote me on this; it's a recollection of conversations with Moises.

 But in light of his legend-speak, here are twenty-two (of what I'm sure are millions) of good and great things that I know Moises did that will catapult him to the heavens so he can guide his family, in his own way.

1. Moises drove colleague Demetras to and from work when her car was in the shop.

2. Moises purchased a modest car so he could spend his money on Nicte-Ha's braces.

3. Moises brought tiny, meaningful gifts back to the team when he returned from vacation.

4. Moises never said, "No," to anything asked of him.  Literally. 

5. When Moises borrowed stuff, he brought it back.

6. Moises gathered two stray kittens from campus and brought them to the Humane Society.  They were feral, so we named them Colin and Will.

7. Moises picked up a campus-worth of trash EVERY DAY.

8. Moises came in over three-day weekends to deal with the trash so it wouldn't get totally gross on the following Monday.

9. Moises, as evidenced by the Facilities' holiday video from two years ago, was a naturally gifted actor.  

10. Moises is one of perhaps three people in the world who looked great in Wrangler jeans.

11. Moises was never angry.

12. Moises was the Master of power-washing and scrubbing the Breezeway.

13. Moises would go to Fair Oaks and hug just about everyone.

14. Moises volunteered to wear the Leprechaun hat on St. Paddy's Day, and he rocked it.  Please see me for video proof.

15. Moises retrieved clothes discarded by clients around campus and made sure they made it back into circulation.  Unless they were Wranglers that were his size...

16. Moises gave up the wild life when he married his wife, Irma.  

17. Moises smiled constantly, and when he sat down in meetings, his smile was prefaced by a funny grunt of sorts, then a sigh, which made everyone laugh.

19. Moises got mildly injured a couple of times -- his hand -- but, otherwise, he never took a sick day.  He had upwards of 900 hours accrued.  

20. Moises only took off work to go to Nicte-Ha's parent-teacher meetings.

21. Moises coined the phrase we use in the Facilities Department for our good man, Richie, which is a bird-like cry of, "Ritch-AY!"  No idea where he got that, but it's fun.

22. Moises lived for and invested in his family, knowing that time beats us all.

 
The history of Moises and his doings will endure.