Hailey Therese Hernandez

HERNANDEZ, Hailey Therese, of Tampa passed away Friday, February 10, 2022. Born in Tampa, Florida, on April 7, 1994, Hailey came into this world as a strong and precious angel battling hypoplastic left heart syndrome from birth. She overcame all odds and three open-heart surgeries in just the first year of her life to become an accomplished woman who experienced more in her short 27 years than many experience in a much longer lifetime. She was a joy to her family, her friends, her co-workers, and to all who knew her because of her quick wit, her engaging smile, her work ethic and dedication, her effervescent and generous nature, and her love of life.

Hailey attended St. Patrick Catholic School (Largo) and St. Lawrence Catholic School (Tampa) for her elementary/middle school education and graduated from Tampa Catholic High School in 2013. Thereafter, she attended Hillsborough Community College and University of Toledo. She completed her Certified Medical Assistant Certification in 2019. Since 2013, Hailey was also employed by Publix, a job she adored and excelled at because of her joyous personality and her love of people. Hailey’s social nature and strong work ethic and dedication propelled her success in almost every department of Publix, where she was loved and will be missed by all.

Hailey not only loved people, she loved animals, especially her own cats, Cheeto and Loki. She was also an avid reader and a free spirit who loved to have fun and wanted others around her to have fun. Her favorite fun pastimes included bowling, pool, darts, craft beer, and practical jokes. In keeping with her fun nature and her competitive spirit, in 2009, Hailey was the Hillsborough County and Regional Champion for the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Competition (granny shots). She never let her medical diagnosis or prognosis hold her back from living her fullest life, and many, if not most, had no idea or simply forgot about her special medical issues. She was a role model for how to live a full and giving life, and an angel of hope and light to all whose lives she touched.

Hailey is predeceased by her grandparents, Casimiro (“Casey”) Benigno Hernandez, Ruth Kimball Hernandez, and John E. Burgess.

She is survived by her maternal grandmother, Martha (“Mert”) V. Burgess, her parents, Lawrence Casimiro Hernandez and Therese Burgess Hernandez; her siblings, John Casimiro Hernandez and Hope Elizabeth Hernandez; her aunts and uncles: Joe Burgess ( Rosemary ) Tom Burgess, Mary Fowler (Peter), Molly Webb (Mark), Kim Hernandez Brennan (Web), Michael Whitney Hernandez (Rebecca), and Christopher Paul Hernandez (Danielle); her cousins: Blair Meagher (Thomas), Mary Kate Burgess, Anne Burgess, Molly Burgess, Payne Webb, McCoy Webb, Chase Roulston Vance, Brett Lawrence Vance, Gerard Michael Hernandez, Christian Patrick Hernandez, Gianna Valentina Hernandez, Zoe Hernandez; her second cousin, Elizabeth (“Tiddly”) Hernandez Whitehead, and other more distant cousins and family members.

A Visitation will be held from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Tuesday, February 15, 2022 at Blount & Curry – Terrace Oaks, 12960 N. 56th Street, Tampa, Florida 33618. A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 am on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church at 10110 Central Ave. Tampa, FL 33612. Burial will follow the mass at Myrtle Hill Cemetery, 4002 E. Lake Ave, Tampa, FL 33610.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Hailey’s name can be made the Ronald McDonald House or Tampa Catholic High School.