Jan. 3, 1928 - Oct. 19, 2026
Date of Service: Oct. 27, 2026
RUPERT – Genoveva “Geneva” Hernandez was born on January 3, 1928, to Jose and Hermalinda Guerrero on a ranch in Nuevo León, Mexico. She was raised on the ranch with her siblings.
Geneva met Andres “Andy” Hernandez while visiting her sister in Reynosa, Tamaulipas. She immediately won his heart through his stomach, and they fell in love. They married in Texas on December 10, 1955—the start of 49 years of marriage. They remained in Texas for four years before moving to Idaho. In Idaho, they lived in Declo, Acequia, and Minidoka before settling into their home of many decades in Rupert. They celebrated countless joys raising a family and also weathered challenges and losses together, the last of which was Andy’s passing in 2004.
Family was always more important than anything else. Geneva was a stay-at-home mom when the kids were young, sometimes even providing care for the children of the community. Once all of her own kids were in school in the early 1970s, she went to work for the J. R. Simplot Company. When Andy started working there, too, they took turns on morning shift and night shift so that one of them was always home for the kids. In the early 1990s, both Andy and Geneva retired from Simplot and began traveling to visit their families in Texas and Mexico.
After much study and preparation, Geneva took her citizenship test and passed! She was so pleased to stand in front of her family and become an American citizen! It was one of her proudest moments; only meeting her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great- granddaughter surpassed the joy of that citizenship day.
For much of her life, she was part of St. Nicholas Catholic Church and the Jehovah’s Witnesses of Burley. Her many years of service as a Guadalupana brought her great joy as it allowed her combine two things that she loved: friends and cooking!
Geneva’s favorite saying was, “Have you eaten yet?” No one who came to the house could leave without at least a warm tortilla or, more frequently, a sit-down meal. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes were a Sunday tradition. Her tamales were amazing, mole was a family favorite, and her pico de gallo was legendary! You could always tell that she was happy when she was in the kitchen making tortillas or singing a song.
Andy and Geneva loved to go out dancing! They would especially go out on New Year’s Eve. They always came home happy to have enjoyed music and dancing with friends, and also happy just to be with each other.
Geneva died at home, surrounded by family, on Monday, October 19, 2026. We know that Andy was waiting to welcome his honey into eternal life. Geneva was surely ready to be reunited with him as well as her children, (Albert, John, Jose, and Belinda) and her grandson, (Lorenzo) who preceded her in death. She was also preceded in death by her siblings, Consuelo & Jesús Garza, Alfonso and Emma Guerrero, Jesús and Lupe Guerrero, Irene and Polo Hernandez, Rosita Sanchez, and Blanca Guerrero; her brother-in-law, Elias Elisando; and all her in-laws.
She is survived by her children, Raquel, Marina, and Erma Hernandez of Rupert, and Edward (Rev. Karen) Hernandez of Salem, OR; her grandchildren, Letticia (Ben) Godfrey and Kira (Abel) Ortega of Burley, and Albert (Shantae) Hernandez of Boise; great grandchildren, Aubrey, Natalie, Brayden, Sophia, Nevaeh, and Albert of Burley; and great-great-granddaughter, Ellie of Burley; her sister, Dorita Elisondo of Linares, Nuevo León; and many nieces and nephews.
Geneva’s family would like to express sincere gratitude to Father Camilo Garcia Delgado and Lorrie Espinosa for their pastoral care.
The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at Hansen Mortuary, located at 710 6th Street, in Rupert, followed by a graveside service at Rupert Cemetery. Those who attend are encouraged to wear bright colors.
