Hernandez and died September 8, 2022 at the age of 84 years. Loretta was a loving wife to
Angel Rodriguez and loving mother of 9: Angelo, Rosemarie, Charles, Timothy, Tina, Laura,
Diana, Anthony, and Joseph.
An avid and devout Catholic, Loretta graduated from Our Lady Guadalupe Junior High School
in 1952 and Garces Memorial High School in 1956. Loretta was taught to play the organ during
her early childhood years and eventually orchestrated a choir for Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish
and was nicknamed “Golden Fingers” by her surviving husband Charles Alderete. Loretta
participated in many years of fundraisers for the parish spending countless hours and days
preparing for volunteer work at the “Jamaicas” to raise money for restorations of the parish.
Loretta was later nominated and selected for Woman of the Year Award for the Parish, in 1993.
In 2001, Loretta retired from the Bakersfield City School District after 25 years of service as an
Administrative Coordinator but continued her legacy of volunteering at the Parish and assisting
displaced individuals with basic living necessities of food, clothing, and hygiene supplies.
Loretta was best known for her courageous and tenacious spirit. Her legacy of strength and
resolve echoes through her children as well as theirs. Whether it be by the tune of her organ or
the spoonful of her cuisine, her great impact was that of comfort and unity. She was preceded
in death by daughter, Rosemarie and her husband Angel Rodriguez. She is survived by her
husband Charles Alderete and her eight children, twenty-nine grandchildren and forty-one great
grandchildren.
A visitation for Loretta will be held Thursday, September 22, 2022 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Hillcrest Memorial Park and Mortuary, 9101 Kern Canyon Road, Bakersfield, CA 93306.
Her funeral service will occur Friday, September 23, 2022 from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 601 E. California Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93307.
Graveside service will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Park and Mortuary, 9101 Kern Canyon Road, Bakersfield, CA 93306.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hillcrestmemorial.com for the Rodriguez Alderete family.
