Connie M. Herrera

Connie Mascorro Herrera, age 79, of Hesperia, California passed away on March 8, 2022.

Connie was born on February 1, 1943, in Lindsey, California to Joe and Evelyn Mascorro. She was the youngest of three, Joe and Tony. The family eventually moved into the County of San Bernardino, and found a home in Bryn Mawr, where she and her brothers attended the local schools: Mission Elementary, Redlands Junior High, and Redlands High Schools. Church was very much a part of the Mascorro family, and church became an important aspect in Connie’s life. She was Baptized in the Roman Catholic Church, and she grew to embrace and practiced the faith. She attended catechism classes and went on to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation.

Not long after high school, Connie met Alex Herrera who was a friend of her brother Tony. And Tony, like the brother he was, tried pointing out other girls to Alex, but was unsuccessful in steering him away from his sister. Tony should have known that Love always wins! In the mid-sixties Alex and Connie did marry and made their first home in Loma Linda. They were blessed with three beautiful children, and accumulated a variety of pets, such as, dogs, cats, chickens, and a goat! Her son, Alex recalls that in the mid-seventies his mama had just bought a brand-new car, Vega Station Wagon, and one morning the family awoke to find his dad’s goat standing on the hood of her car! Well, mom took a broom to that goat and beat it off the hood! By the way, that goat wasn’t around too long after that incident. Her kids don’t really know what happened to it, but her son, Alex and Uncle Joe now joke that he might have ended up on the BBQ grill! Alex always was impressed that mom never thought twice about it. “She never let the small stuff bother her.” Life with her husband, Alex was good for the years they were together raising their children until his passing in 1986.

With the help and support of her mother Evelyn who lived nearby, Connie and her children thrived the best they could. She was a diligent worker and focused on taking care of her kids. There was not a whole lot of money, but somehow, by the Grace of God, she managed to keep her family well fed, happy and secured. She loved the outdoors and made sure that her kids experienced, not only camping, hiking, and fishing, but special and meaningful occasions, like her daughter Lina’s Quinceanera - her 15th birthday. Nothing was more important to her than family; and today, her kids say they never felt deprived of anything.

As Connie’s kids grew into adults and began making their own life stories with children of their own, she and mom became even closer to each other. A few years after her husband passed, Connie decides to make a change and looks for a larger home. She and mom would find the perfect house in Hesperia! Together they make a home for themselves, and for the two grandkids who were under Connie’s care at the time. She was an amazing “mom and dad” in raising those grandkids. And just like her own kids she kept busy and involved in Boy Scouts, YMCA, baseball for the boys, and Brownies, Church functions and catechism, she made sure that the grandkids too stayed involved into something good and wholesome. She supported them all and was the cheer leader at the games and practices.

Connie’s grandchildren now have kids of their own, and she discovers her greatest joy yet - babysitting her great grandchildren! They are now in school and playing sports and keeping busy. Great grandma Connie never missed a game or practice and always cheered them on using her blow horn!

Connie loved life and was easy to make friends with; her brothers loved her deeply as did many of her friends. She had a deep sense of humor and a laugh that was contagious. In the family, she was affectionally nicknamed “Petunia” by one of her uncles, and she just loving laughed about it. At family gatherings, brother Tony loved greeting her by that nickname.

Connie loved animals and, in her house, pets were family. There was a cat she named “Tennis” like in tennis shoes; there was the cute small black dog named “Terron” (dirt clod in Spanish). As a youngster, she had a pet rooster named “Jack,” and that bird would chase after a friend of hers whenever she visited! How we all loved and enjoyed sharing such stories and so much more in our family visits and get-togethers!

Connie worked for Braco Ceramics for about four or five, and twenty years at Teledyne Battery where she eventually retired from. Her favorite workplace was Braco Ceramics. She would gift us with ceramics on special occasions that some of us still have after so many years. We all appreciated her creativeness. Her sense of humor was evident in her creations: My favorite two gifts are the Strawberry cookie jar, and a cutting board wall plaque displayed in the kitchen which read, “Never Mind the Compliments and help me Wash the Dishes!” I loved it! It with decorated veggies and fruit framing the comment.

She enjoyed working on DIY projects. She found it relaxing. Her kids marveled at her creations! Ralphie remembers how she, from a wood log carved out the center of it, painted and decorated it make the perfect table lamp! She was good at refinishing and reupholstering chairs to use and decorate her home. My beloved sister in-law was good at what she set her mind to do and never bragged. She was a humble person in that way.

But Connie’s passion was taking family trips just to “get-away” on her days off work. They would make their way to nearby Parks and Lakes, or to the mountains and have a picnic or BBQ. Grandma Evelyn too had favorite outings and treated them all to places like the Sequoia Redwoods, Recreational Parks, such as Disneyland and Magic Mountain. These kids also experienced the bright lights of Las Vegas and Laughlin! Talk about making memories with two of the toughest and loving ladies!

In closing, Thank You Connie for the memories, and most of all, for the “Rock of the family” that you were. You believed in your kids and never gave up on any of them! Your beautiful children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren will miss you greatly, as your brothers will. Thank you also for the love and friendship that developed over the years between us, not only as sister in-laws, but as friends. I’m sure that sister Mary, whom you loved so much would agree with me that you were the best sister in-law ever!

Siblings survived by: Joe and Tony Mascorro

Children survived by: Alex, Ralph, and Evelina Herrera Rojas.

Grandchildren survived by: Alex III, Adam, Aaron, Ralph Jr, Joseph Herrera; Alexandria, Irma Rojas, and Letizia Rojas Williams, and eighteen Great grandchildren.