In Memory of the Ingenuity and Good Work of Luis Hernández

The years lived and shared, which have been many, become just a breath at the moment of the earthly farewell of the friend, relative, and fellow countryman Luis Hernández Hernández (Fuencaliente de La Palma, 1933-2022), who today has embarked on the eternal journey, where he will enjoy wherever he goes what he has always harvested in this life: a good man.

Luis represents an entire generation of fellow countrymen forged in the eternal values of wanting to be more and better people without causing harm; of work and effort as a means of livelihood and personal improvement in the quest to build and enjoy a small better world; of order and respect as the foundations of one’s own existence and the best social interaction, and a deep lover of his family and his hometown, to which he always dedicated his best efforts.

Known as Luis “the one with the light,” due to his profession as an electrician, he worked for UNELCO in the island electrification of La Palma and always showed capacity and good work, helping his neighbors and friends in everything he knew how to do. In his eagerness to reciprocate to others, he almost lost his life during the eruption of the Teneguía volcano in November 1971, when he lost consciousness due to inhalation of toxic gases while with friends who had come from Gran Canaria, whom he took to see the lava up close via the coastal road.

Luis was a curious man in his determination to know more, always attracted by technical novelties; ingenious in solving both big and small problems and witty in his latent innate sharpness. Together with his wife Rosita, he was always a person of great generosity and cordiality. We would even say, endearing. His house at the corner of Puerta del Viento, located at the northern entrance of Fuencaliente where the gas station used to be and where the road turns to go down to Las Caletas, is not only a geographical reference but also a home of nobility, honesty, and affection, a always pleasant stop in the friendly correspondence forged in good neighborliness, kinship, and camaraderie.

May the dear friend Luis rest in peace. With him has gone one of the co-protagonists of a chapter in the history of Fuencaliente almost yesterday. We are sure he will always live in the fertile memory of his loved ones and also in the collective and grateful memory of his town for his generosity, affection, dedication, and commitment.

Photo: Juan Carlos Díaz Lorenzo