Mercedes Palacios' Obituary
Mercedes Palacios 1941–2025: An Appreciation A wonderful mother and baker for so many, who saw only the best in her family.
Nana, as we—her family—loved to call her, was a person who would never abandon those closest to her. Victor Jr., her son, told me that his earliest memory of Nana was when he had his tonsils removed. All he remembers is that Nana never left his side. She was someone who would never leave you—never abandon you. No matter how angry she was with you, no matter what you did wrong, she always looked for the good in her family. She always supported us. She never left our side. That is who she was.
Nana was an eternal giver. These past three years were the hardest for her. She had slowly begun to lose her independence and her ability to eat (and she barely ate as it was!). And she was in pain—so much pain. She made more and more visits to the emergency room and saw doctors on a near-weekly basis. In these past three weeks alone, she made four visits to the hospital, each time taken by ambulance.
On one of her trips, I (Chubby—her grandson) sat with her from the time the hospital allowed visitors. I noticed how sleep-deprived she looked. How could she sleep when doctors and nurses came barging in every 30 minutes, demanding answers to their questions, prodding her with needles, and giving her medicine that didn’t work?
On this occasion, around 11:30 a.m., she was finally able to take a nap. But that didn’t last long. A woman stepped into the room and loudly asked, “Would you like to do communion?” I tried to silence her with a “No, thank you.” But Nana had heard. She turned to the woman and, as tired as she was, said, “I’d like to.”
I was confused but respected her wishes. Later that day, Nana said, “It’s so sad… that woman goes from door to door, and I bet everyone turns her away.” My brow furrowed as the wheels in my mind began to turn. I looked at Nana and said, “Wait—is that why you said you’d like to do it? Because you felt bad for her?”
“Yes,” Nana replied.
As her sister, affectionately called Sonia, would say, “That was her essence.” She was a giver. She felt sorry for others even when she hadn’t slept well in weeks, even when she was in constant pain and needed her rest. She was compassion incarnate. That is who she was.
On her last day with her family, she left this world doing what she loved more than anything else—caring for her family.
10:30 p.m. – The family was exhausted and sleep-deprived, so I sent everyone to bed before finally resting myself.
1:00 a.m. – I woke up frightened, afraid Nana wasn’t okay, as I had so many nights these past few weeks. I went to check on her. Nana was sound asleep, resting like an angel. Relieved, I went back to bed.
3:00 a.m. – I was awoken by Nana calling my name loudly. “Coming, Nana,” I said with love. I went into the room, and she asked if she needed to take any medicine and a number of other questions that told me she was afraid of being alone and just wanted company—just wanted someone to talk to. So I sat next to her, massaged her hands, and promised to sleep on the floor beside her because I could tell she was scared to be alone. We both fell asleep.
4:30 a.m. – I can only imagine this part, but I assume Nana realized how tired and exhausted I was. So she tried to stand up on her own so as not to wake me. She must have thought, I can do this on my own—I’ll let him rest. Nana stood. But she had been in and out of the hospital for weeks—she must have known she couldn’t do it alone, but she tried anyway, out of the love she bore for her whole family - Nana wanted to be strong for us. She wanted to help herself in order to protect us.
But in her final act of kindness, she slipped and fell leading to an injury she could not recover from.
Nana was a mother to so many—and not just any mother, but a mother who put her children first. That is who she was.
I want to share a poem that was read to her during her last moments in life. It is called “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep”:
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow;
I am the diamond glints on the snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain;
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there; I did not die.
For me, the dead do not die when they pass. They die when we forget them.
Remember that wherever you are, if you need Nana, she is in your thoughts, she is in your heart. She did not die.
Service and Website notes: Nana requests that black is not worn at the funeral services - she wants color. She also requests no pictures or slideshow, so please do not post pictures on the website - we, the family, would love memories and stories posted instead. Thank you.
What’s your fondest memory of Mercedes?
What’s a lesson you learned from Mercedes?
Share a story where Mercedes' kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Mercedes you’ll never forget.
How did Mercedes make you smile?