Obituary of Dolores Ines Hernandez

Written by Carol Hernandez

Dolores Ines Hernandez of East Northport was a pioneer, an entrepreneur, and a compassionate, loving woman who saw the best in everyone. Her life story exemplifies the brilliance of a diamond, who only grows stronger and more dazzling as it undergoes extraordinary pressures. She served as a shining beacon of hope and love to her family. After a long and full life, she died on June 11, 2023, while surrounded by the loving presence of her daughter and three grandchildren. She was 82.

Dolores lived many roles and excelled in all of them with wit and grace. She was a daughter, mother, wife, grandmother, godmother, sister, and friend. Her life was rooted in her love of God and her Roman Catholic faith. She was called Loli by her husband Manuel A. Hernandez, and their relatives. To her grandchildren Josephine, Oliver, and Benjamin Amorim, she was Abuelita.

Early Life
Dolores (Buitron Beltran) was born in 1941. She came from a humble family. One of 10 children born to Ines Beltran in Quito, Ecuador. Dolores had lost her father, Manuel Buitron, when she was 8. This created a financial strain for her widowed mother and the young children. However, they had love, laughter, and their faith, which sustained them.

Dolores was the oldest daughter in the family and at just 12 years old, her formal education came to an end. She left school on a Friday and that Monday had a job in a curtain shop. There, she learned to sew and sewing became a lifelong passion, hobby, and source of employment. Throughout her life she sewed curtains, household items, and clothes such as prom dresses, and even a wedding gown. She often gave handmade gifts that she had sewn or knitted herself. She could just look at a piece of clothing and recreate it perfectly. She had a designer’s eye that was fueled by an innate sense of style and great taste in fashion.

At 18, she met the love of her life. Manuel A. Hernandez was then a 20-year-old airman in the Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana, FAE. More than a decade later they had one child, Carol Hernandez. They married later in life and stayed together through his death in Miami in 2014.

Pioneer
At 22, Dolores boarded a plane for the first time. She was headed for Long Island. She was the first in her family to leave Ecuador and come to the United States, an amazing turning point in her trajectory. She came to be a live-in caretaker for the children of a Kings Point family. During that time, she learned English, completed her high school degree, and learned to drive. These accomplishments were significant for any woman of her time, but especially so for an immigrant woman from Latin America who was escaping poverty. It was 1964, the United States was going through revolutionary political and social changes. The Civil Rights Act had just been signed into law, The Beatles were on the radio and The Andy Griffith Show was a hit on TV.

During her 20s as a single woman working in the United States, she saved her meager wages to send money and clothes to her family back in Quito. She made sure that her siblings did not suffer the same hardships that she endured as a child. Because of her efforts, her siblings started to immigrate to the United States as well. Of her 10 siblings, 8 came to live in the United States and brought their children, who are now parents and grandparents. Completely new lives, new families, and new opportunities were given space to grow from one woman’s sacrifice. One woman’s attempt to create a fulfilling life for herself cascaded throughout time and space to the rest of her family.

She reunited with her teenage sweetheart, and they built a life together. They settled in Miami and raised their only child, one daughter. They married later in life. Dolores always worked. She found employment in various industries where she could apply her skills as a seamstress, licensed cosmetologist, and business owner. In her later years, she even started a restaurant with her husband. During their lives together, Dolores and Manuel traveled to Ecuador and throughout the United States. They worked side by side and enjoyed socializing with their large extended family. Their life was fueled by optimism and laughter. Sadly, her husband and life partner of 55 years, died in 2014.

Later Years
Dolores moved to East Northport in 2014 to live with her daughter’s family. She was an active participant in their daily lives, dropping the kids off at school, helping prepare meals, and being a compassionate and loving listener. She enriched their lives with her kindness and generosity. She was a high energy person who was always on the go. She ran her own errands, doted on her cats, and rode 3 miles a day on a stationary bicycle. She loved to laugh and at the end of the day, was happy to watch reruns of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Everybody Loves Raymond. She was always cheerful and saw the best in everyone, especially her daughter and grandchildren. She lived her life fearlessly by giving with her whole heart and radiating her special energy to those she loved.

She is survived by her daughter, Carol. Her grandchildren Josephine, Oliver, and Benjamin Amorim as well as son-in-law Kevin Amorim. She was predeceased by her husband, Manuel A. Hernandez, of Miami. She is survived by siblings: Fausto Buitron of Miami, Antonio Buitron and Teresita Mora of Long Island, Mario and Oswaldo Beltran of Long Island, Myrian Lucia Beltran of Louisiana, and Ana Noboa of Quito. Predeceased by siblings: Luis and Juan Buitron of Quito.

Visitation is Friday 4-8 PM, Nolan Funeral Home, 5 Laurel Ave., Northport, NY 11590. Mass of Christian Burial Saturday 10:30 AM, St. Anthony of Padua, 20 Cheshire Pl., East Northport, NY 11731. Burial to follow at St. Philip Neri Cemetery. The Saturday funeral mass will be live streamed at this link: www.masslivestream.com/saintanthonyofpadua

Flowers for the service can be arranged through The Flower Basket. In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor can be made to the food bank Long Island Cares.