Luis Hernandez Sainz

Luis Sainz, loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather,  passed away peacefully at his home in San Diego on October 12, 2023, at the age of 100 with family by his side.  Luis was born on July 7, 1923, in the City of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico.  He was the third of four siblings, raised by their father Anacleto Sainz and their mother Micaela Hernandez.  Their very humble home located in the colonia of Tierra Blanca was on a small ranch where they farmed corn and other vegetables.  He used to tell us that his home had no address numbers and that the floors were merely dirt floors.  There was no heat or running water.  As a child one of his many chores was to go to the forest to gather firewood for cooking and for heat.  He would also be required to go the the river to bring water in buckets for cooking, drinking and bathing.  His father Anacleto was a master mason who built concrete block houses in their colonia.  Luis was only able to attend school up to the third grade, his father needed his help so he quit school to help support the family.  Our father  would tell us stories of the burro with no name that he would ride to work, a gift from his father.  He would tend to the corn field and/or  help his father with his masonry work, mixing mortar and stacking block or bricks for his father to lay.  His father Anacleto passed away when our father was about 12 years old.  Life was extremely difficult for them, his mother Micaela was left to raise the family on her own. The five of them slept on the one bed that they owned.  Later on in life, as a young man he worked several odd jobs in Culiacan. He eventually moved north to Tijuana, Mexico.   

Father would tell us stories of when he met our mother Margarita Garcia, his future wife.  He often told the stories of the well known trios at the time in Tijuana that he would take to her home to have her serenaded.  He was quite the romantic.   In 1959 he married our mother, Margarita Garcia Avila in Tijuana, Mexico. She had also moved to Tijuana from Sinaloa, Mexico.   Eventually they imigrated and moved to San Diego, California.  They had seven children, six of which survive today.   He worked for over 40 years as a gardener/landscaper, mainly in La Jolla, California.  He was always so proud of the over 100 rosebushes that he would tend to at the Darlington House.  He made numerous friends and aquaintances during his many years working in San Diego.  He was the neighborhood grandfather to several children in his neighborhood.  They would often knock on his front door to have him come out to sit on his bench in the front yard and talk with him.  He was known by all as a fair man, a great friend who was always there to lend a hand to a friend in need.  But mostly as a very hard working man, one to never quit until the job was done.  He will be deeply missed by all who knew him. 

Late in life our father became a United States citizen. He retired from working in approximately 1993.   However, he never really stopped working until his 90’s.  He always helped all his children with our home projects, teaching us how to fix and build things.  He showed us how to grow our plants and trees. He loved his plants.  He taught us about life lessons and good values, to be honest and most importantly, a strong work ethic. 

Luis is survived by his wife Margarita, sister Guadalupe Sainz; children Luis, Eduardo, Arturo, Yolanda, Mario and Martha Sainz; grandchildren Alex & Marcos Sainz, Kara Dugan Sainz, Anthony Sainz and Shane Stevens and great grandchild Nathan Sainz.