Mamita Lucita Hernandez

On April 1, 2024, Luz (Mamita Lucita) Hernandez Erazo, 89 years old, of Roselle, Illinois, passed
away after a long illness. A native of Ecuador, Lucita was born in the shadow of Mount
Chimborazo in a small town called Sevilla to Aurelio and Zoila Erazo. She grew up on her
family’s farm, helping to harvest the crops and tend to the livestock, but her future awaited her
3,000 miles away. Mamita Lucita and Papa Teodoro began their family in Ecuador but soon
moved to the United States. Settling in the suburbs of Chicago, Mamita raised her children in a
new country with a different language and an unfamiliar culture but with the same unwavering
love and support. As she remade her life in America, she brought with her the lessons and skills
she developed from her childhood education in a Catholic boarding school; she was a
professional seamstress until her retirement, but she was also skilled in embroidery and
knitting.
As her family grew to include the spouses and children of her sons and daughters, her kindness
and warmth also grew to encompass everyone. She cared for anyone who walked into her
house, offering food, a little “cafecito,” a hug, and for those in most need, a heartfelt blessing.
Mamita loved her family and friends, and she was devoted to her Catholic faith, so much of her
advice was based on scripture. She was incapable of disciplining her beloved grandchildren, but
it was not necessary as they adored her too much to misbehave (kind of). Everyone who met
Mamita loved her, and she loved everyone right back.
Mamita is survived by her children Magdalena (Robert), Vicente (Jeny), Sylvia (Jose), Ricardo
(Lina), Ted (Rosalinda), Albaro Benito (Betty), and Juan (Lara), 27 grandchildren, 30 great-
grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild as well as her sisters, Anita, Olga, Imelda, and Alicia
and her brothers, Cornelio and Raul. She was predeceased by her husband Teodoro, her son
Adolfo, her brother Luis, and her infant twin sisters. Mamita is the heart of the family and will
be missed by all who knew her.
Visitation will be held on Friday, April 5 from 3pm-9pm at Salerno’s Rosedale Chapel in Roselle,
Illinois. The funeral mass is scheduled for Saturday, April 6 at 9:30am at St. Isidore Catholic
Church in Bloomingdale, Illinois. The interment location will be St. Michael the Archangel
Catholic Cemetery with the date and time to be announced later.