Jose Luis Hernandez

I’d first like to truly thank each and every one of you for coming to pay your respects to an incredible man by the name of Jose Luis Hernandez who was born on April 10. 1943 and left us last Saturday April 09, 2022. He was known to many of us as “Chewe”, and particularly known to us as our “Papa”. He wore many hats. He was a beloved Husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, relative and friend to many of us here today. Everyone who showed up today to pay their final respects is a testimony to the lives he personally touched
When I was asked for this task to give this eulogy today, I realized how hard it was to describe such a unique and significant person in your life. You try to look for all the perfect words and phrases to depict exactly how you feel, but nothing ever seems to fit. I could be up here all day talking about Papa and all his crazy stories, but with the interest of time I’ll talk to you guys about a few of the many qualities I admired and memories I shared with him. He was a protector and family man first before anything else, and he would do anything for his lovely wife of 51 years Elsa Amelia Hernandez who is known to us as Chiti and mama as well . One of the things that come to mind right away is that as they’ve gotten older, and mama has needed much more help with her health, he’d make sure to get up every morning faithfully at 7am , make her breakfast and coffee, arrange all of her medicine, take her blood pressure, and even make store runs to get lunch, all while being handicapped himself on one leg. That didnt stop his responsibilities as a man, even in his final days. When he was in the hospital for his own health, all he’d worry about is my grandmother and making sure she was taken care of. He just wanted to get home to her more than anything else. I respected that a lot.. Chewe also had such a sense of humor. Sometimes mid sentence in the middle of a conversation, he’d randomly start singing old , goofy love songs and would say these were the same songs he used to win mama’s heart. If he wasn’t singing, he’d be making a witty joke just to get a smile out of you. We bonded over music a lot and he put me on to so many Spanish musician legends such as Celia Cruz, El Gran Combo, and Marc Anthony. One of my favorite things to do was to blast old Salsa Classics in my car on trips and take turns giving our best dance moves. He loved to tell stories. I’d hear so many stories about my mother and uncles being younger and chasing them around. I particularly loved to hear the stories about him boxing, and even to this day get inspired to go and learn how to box. He’d also tell you he was friends with everyone in the neighborhood and everyone knew not to mess with him. To my surprise he wasn’t lying and I saw it firsthand how he would go down to the stores and act like he was all suave and cool. Everyone from the deli clerk, to the employees in the Spanish restaurant, to his barber all welcomed him with smiles and jokes as he interacted with them.
Now I don’t want to idealize Papa as being this perfect person, because who is. He definitely had his fair share of flaws. He was a complainer. If he didn’t like something he was going to let you know about it for a fact. He was also very stubborn and once he had his mind set on something, there was no convincing him other wise. We always had a running joke that Papa would say everyone is “lying, lying, lying” because he’s “never wrong”. And best believe he always a person that demanded his respect. He would be sure to check you if he didn’t get it. But that’s what I loved about Papa. He was unapologetically himself and always stood for the values and beliefs he had. He was never swayed. In a world where so many people care about the opinions of others and may compromise their values and beliefs to be liked, Papa always stood for what he believed in and I admired that so much.
What I’ll cherish and miss the most are Sunday mornings. Over the last year, we created this tradition of having a Sunday breakfast together. I’d come over after my overnight work shift and he’d always make the perfect cup of coffee just the way I like it with a bagel (which was really an eggo waffle). We’d have conversations about life and how he and mama were doing throughout the week. It was through these conversations that I realized most of the complaining he was doing was a message for something else. Whenever he’d say something like “you never call me” meant that he missed you and would love if you called more. Or “you never come see me” really meant he wanted to see and spend time with you. I made sure to prioritize Sunday mornings because I could see how much he enjoyed seeing me over and I enjoyed it just as much. I also realized that 5 minute check-in calls go such a long way and are very appreciated because you’re letting someone know you’re thinking and care about that them. We will miss you very much and will never be forgotten. We all love you PaPa.

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