Goodbye Sergio and Mercedes

We got the news about a week ago that our friends Sergio & Mercedes Herrera had both died within a week of each other at their home outside McAllen, Texas. Yesterday, we attended a memorial service for them here in Kansas City. They may not have been related to us, but they made us feel like family from the first day we met, so I wanted to share some memories of them here.

We met Sergio and Mercedes shortly after we moved in to our house on Rockhill Road. They were our neighbors to the South. Mercedes welcomed us to the neighborhood with a plate of cookies and an invitation to dinner at their house. Sergio always answered the door with a smile and a hearty welcome. The parties at the Herreras were a regular occurrence, especially in the summer. Sergio would man the grill, either on the back deck or the front porch. Mercedes would make sure everyone had something to drink – a soda, a beer, a glass of wine, or (like her) a glass of good sipping tequila. A party at the Herreras was an all-evening affair. Drinks and appetizers started around 6 p.m. Dinner might be served by 8 p.m. On more than one occasion, I know I was glad that getting home only required me to walk next door. Their kindness extended beyond their hospitality – we also took turns mowing each other’s lawn. As long as we were out mowing, we’d just go ahead and take care of the other’s yard while we were at it.

The Herreras joined us for our family Thanksgiving, and in turn invited us to experience Christmas dinner with them. When Mikaela was born, they doted over her more like an aunt and uncle than like a neighbor. They had no children together, at least not human ones. Sergio and Mercedes’ dogs were their babies. At times, they had upward of a dozen miniature and toy poodles that they were raising and caring for. More than once, Mercedes saved a poodle by giving it mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. And both Sergio and Mercedes sometimes subsisted on minimal levels of sleep for weeks at a time while they took turns feeding newborn pups with an eyedropper.

Sergio and Mercedes moved to South Texas to be near Mercedes’ family not long after we moved out to the Kansas suburbs. I wish we had kept in better contact after they moved. I’ll always remember Sergio and Mercedes as sort of den mother and father to us “kids” who moved into their neighborhood. Here’s to you Sergio and Mercedes. Last night, I had a tequila after dinner in Mercedes’ memory. Tonight, I’ll remember Sergio with a glass of scotch. But as long as I live, I don’t think I’ll be able to see chile relleno or a toy poodle without thinking about our friends Sergio and Mercedes.