Ada Hernandez Guevara

Ada was born in Las Villas, Cuba, as one of seven siblings. She loved both of her parents dearly and was a devoted daughter. Strong and independent to a fault, she adored reading and learning—so much so that, when the custom of the time was for girls to stop attending school after the sixth grade, she instead chose to repeat it three times. Her strength of character and cleverness endured into adulthood as she left behind the trappings of her rural childhood and the expectations of being an acquiescent and obedient wife to an unkind first husband. She chose instead to make her own way as an entrepreneur in Havana, Cuba. She was ahead of her time, cultivating a lucrative career as a seamstress and building strong ties to her community through her devotion to God and enduring presence in her church's congregation. As one can imagine, that same strength of character manifested powerfully in her matriarchal presence. No one could go hungry in her household, and she was immensely competitive during family game nights. She loved playing Dominoes and Uno—and loved winning even more. In her pastime, she enjoyed knitting and often gifted her beautiful and complex handmade creations to those close to her. She was generous; generous with her time, care, and willingness to go above and beyond for others. She is survived by her loving husband, two daughters, a son-in-law, three grandchildren, two grandsons-in-law, and three great-grandchildren.