Ana Emelia Fernandez de Hernandez

Ana Emelia Fernandez de Hernandez, known as Mela to her family and friends, passed away peacefully after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s on March 3, 2020.

She came into this world in Havana, Cuba on May 30,1928 – a spitfire with a passion for dancing and the people she chose to surround herself with. The wife of a proud Cuban Army officer, they came to the United States for the second time in 1956 with their two sons to embrace the American dream.

They settled in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1963, where her husband Santiago went to work for Texaco Research, and Mela a homemaker and substitute teacher. They enjoyed traveling, baseball games with her boys, pool time with their grandchildren, arts and crafts, and dancing the night away with their friends – but most of all, they just enjoyed the love they had for each other.

If you knew Mela, you knew she never met someone who didn’t instantly become her friend. Her grace, perseverance and stubborn nature were a force to be reckoned with, and she was always in your corner. She was the life of the party both on and off the dance floor, and you were always smiling at her jokes and stories from her childhood in Cuba. Mela was a driving force of a matriarch and loved everyone around her.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Santiago; her parents, Arturo and Anita Hernandez; and brother, Arturo Hernandez. We are so grateful that they are reunited in heaven with their Lord and Savior.

She is survived by her oldest son, Oscar Fernandez and wife, Michele Fernandez of Ohio; her youngest son, Tury Fernandez and wife, Pat Fernandez. She is also survived by her 3 granddaughters, Amber Dillon, Lauren Meihls and husband, Mike Meihls; Kasey Petrilli and husband, George Petrilli; and great-grandson, Theodore (Teddy) Santiago Petrilli.

A gathering of Mrs. Fernandez’s family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Friday, March 6, 2020, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. Her funeral service will be at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, March 7, 2020, at Broussard’s, with her interment to follow at Memory Gardens of Jefferson, Nederland.

Serving as pallbearers will be: Mike Meihls, George Petrilli, Steve Russell, Carlos Guzman, Alan Guzman, and Kenny Reese.