A beloved wife of 58 years, a mother and grandmother, Mercedes was born in the U.S., in Santa Rita, New Mexico, later to relocate to her parent's town of Tepechitlan, Zacatecas, Mexico, where she grew up as a child and through her teens. She returned to the U.S. with her parents and siblings, to the open arms of cousins, uncles and aunts who provided a foothold to grow up and work in the new land of opportunity.

Despite the lack of resources, she arrived here with a basic 8th grade education.  With those humble resources she tried to drive anyone who would listen, that the road to opportunity was through the path of higher education.

She resided in Wilmington, CA until she married and moved to Santa Ana, CA where she raised two sons.

Loved by many, Mercedes started by always being proud of who she was and proud from where she came.  She met challenges in life by believing in herself, working hard to overcome them, and always trusting God with an unrelenting faith in His goodwill.

She guided family with a firm hand, strong values of right and wrong, and that God is the light of your life.