Francis William Herrera was born on July 15, 1927 in Del Norte, Colorado and departed this life on December 13, 2023 in Twenty-nine Palms, California. Francis was the seventh of nine children, born to Marie Olympia Ortiz Herrera and Amarante Herrera. Francis told stories of swimming and fishing with his brothers in the Rio Grand River while growing up in Del Norte. He enjoyed it so much, that when his family moved to San Pedro in 1942 for his Dad's new job in the shipyards, they let him move back to Del Norte and live alone for one school year. When he came back to San Pedro, he met his life partner Betty Houston. 

Francis and Betty lived a great life together, moving from San Pedro to Ensanada, then Anaheim in early 1950s, to Huntington in 1958, to Houston, Encinitas and Costa Mesa in the 1970s, Santa Ana in 1981, to finally landing in Twenty-nine Palms in 1989. He was in the Navy towards the end of World War II. He and his brother Ralph created a diaper cleaning service after the war during the baby boom, utilizing old equipment from the Navy. After a few years, he found his way into construction, taping, drywalling, and general construction. Between his construction company and raising his four children with his beloved wife, he also owned a bar/restaurant and a couple hotels during their time in Huntington Beach (Compass Motel in Huntington and Lakeview Hotel in Lake Elsinore). Francis and Betty watched their kids grow up, play sports, get married, have kids, and Francis was a BIG family guy.  He traveled the world with Betty and the kids, from Europe, to Central America, to South America (where he taught Martha how to drive at age 14). They decided to settle in Twenty-nine Palms, where he and his son David started Herrera Custom Homes. 

When Betty passed in 1993, the "grandkids" era continued and is where he flourished. When he wasn't creating coffee tables out of large tree trunks or traveling, he was playing card games with his grandkids, watching them play sports, teaching them how to sing interesting songs or poems, always making an effort to be there for all of his grandkids. He was a true artist; he created beautiful things from nothing, such as his plastic water bottle flowers, his plaster sculptures of his grandkids' faces, his large wooden carved doors, and lets never forget, the large gorilla in his den.

 He was the person everyone wanted to talk to or be around. He was the life of every party. He was witty and clever. He was just the best... this world was never going to be ready for him to leave. 

He is preceded in death by his parents, Marie and Amarante, his Brothers, Art and Ralph, and his sisters, Louise and Patricia. He is survived by his sister, Sylvia, his kids, Christine, Suzan, David, and Martha, and his many grandkids, nieces, and nephews and friends. Francis dedicated his life to his family and cultivated meaningful relationships with every person he met in his 96 years of life. He will be dearly missed.

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