Andrea Hernandez, a former Gilroy resident described as a
loyal
”
social butterfly
”
with a beaming smile, died in a March 28 auto accident on
Highway 152 east of Los Banos. She was 18.
Andrea Hernandez, a former Gilroy resident described as a loyal “social butterfly” with a beaming smile, died in a March 28 auto accident on Highway 152 east of Los Banos. She was 18.
Hernandez was energetic and caring, her family said, with hundreds of friends and plans of becoming a nurse and enlisting in the U.S. Army.
“She was an incredible kid,” said stepfather Rob Bates. “She was just full of life.”
Hernandez was born in Merced, and her family moved to Visalia when she was just 8 months old. After seven years in Visalia, her family relocated to Gilroy.
She attended Rod Kelley Elementary School, South Valley Junior High School and Gilroy High School before graduating from Mount Madonna Continuation High School in Gilroy in 2010.
The school will dedicate its 2011 prom to Hernandez, officials confirmed Thursday.
After high school, Hernandez moved back to Visalia to enroll in an administrative medical assistant program, which she graduated from on March 18.
She recently had decided to enlist in the U.S. Army, her stepfather said.
“She was blossoming into a beautiful young woman,” said her mother, Anita Ramirez. “It’s just a tragedy.”
Family members also recalled her as a spirited dancer, honing her moves at Lana’s Dance Studio for five years and participating in the Hip-hop Craze dance competition team at the Gilroy studio.
In addition to her hobbies, Hernandez always set aside time for her friends, comforting them with honest advice and a timely sense of humor, Ramirez said.
“We were always laughing,” she said.
Heidi Bates, one of Hernandez’s three stepsisters, said Hernandez would often drop whatever she was doing for a friend who wanted to spend time with her. With her oft-spoken phrase, “I’m down,” Hernandez couldn’t say no to those closest to her, said Bates, 19.
Coreena Pruneda, a first cousin, said Hernandez’s life was filled with memories but “was cut way too short.”
“How do we live without her?” Pruneda said. “She was way too young.”
Pruneda said a recent post on Hernandez’s Facebook page could be seen as advice for those mourning her passing.
“She wrote, ‘My brightest smile will get me through my darkest days,'” Pruneda said. “Her smile is going to get us through these dark days and weeks and years.”
A memorial service will be held noon Monday at the First Assembly of God Church in Visalia, located at 3737 South Akers Street. A viewing is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at Salser & Dillard Funeral Chapel, located at 127 E. Caldwell Ave. in Visalia. A wake will follow the viewing at 7 p.m. Sunday the church.
