John Hernandez

Born of Venezuelan parents in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on September 16th, 1920, John moved to Caracas, Venezuela, and then immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, USA. John is survived by his wife Celina ("Cely") Hernandez of 57 years, his devoted daughter Jo Ann ("Nena"), and three sons Jeffrey, Victor and Neil.

John enjoyed his Jazz music (John Coltrane, Chet Baker, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman), Latin music (Predo Prado, Luis Miguel) and American favorites (Ray Charles, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole). John followed several sports teams in particular the New York Knicks, St. John's College Basketball and oh yes his beloved New York Yankees. His interests included photography, something he passed onto his daughter, reading (everything!) and just conversing with people in order to get to know them better. John also loved to travel. This was evident in his cross country Greyhound bus tour with his wife in the 1960's. Beginning in Dallas, they then visited Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC, Tampa and ended up in Miami, all in one trip. John loved to eat and always encouraged his family to eat healthy (i.e. wheat bread, brown rice, vegetables). But at times, it also included typical Venezuelan dishes (arepas, hallacas), well done steak as well as McDonald's and KFC (yes he loved his chicken).

John had been described by his family and friends as a "a good man", "witty", "friendly", and "smart". Perhaps, his daughter said it best, "My dad was the best he could be----and as a result bought out the best in others. He loved to laugh and chat and most especially he LOVED LIFE. Thank you for everything Viejo. You have shown me so much about the world. Please rest now and know that Mommy and I will be ok and will miss you dearly".