103-year-old San Antonio native and mother of 20 beats COVID-19

Herminia Rodriguez previously worked as cook a at La Fonda Mexican Restaurant

Herminia Rodriguez is a 103-year-old COVID-19 survivor and a native of San Antonio. (The Rio at Mission Trails)

SAN ANTONIO – Herminia Rodriguez has a lot of reasons to celebrate these days and it’s not just because she has a large family — the 103-year-old San Antonio native is officially a survivor of COVID-19.

Rodriguez has 20 children, 14 of whom are still living, 31 grandchildren and 49 great-grandchildren, according to The Rio at Mission Trails activities director Veronica Salas, who told KSAT that Rodriguez worked for many years as a cook at La Fonda Mexican Restaurant.

“She shows no signs of slowing down and is still able to whip around in her wheelchair,” Salas said.

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Rodriguez, who lives at The Rio at Mission Trails, was born in 1917 and frequently says “dale duro a la vida,” which roughly translates to “go hard at life.”

“Her favorite colors are black and pink, her favorite food is hot wings, and she loves old romantic music like Armando Manzanero, Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete,” said Salas.

Metro Health confirms Rio at Mission Trails has had 29 positive cases of COVID-19 among residents.

As of June 22, Metro Health also reported three confirmed cases of COVID-19 in people over age 100 with no deaths in that age group.


About the Author:

Mary Claire Patton has been a journalist with KSAT 12 since 2015. She has reported on several high-profile stories during her career at KSAT and specializes in trending news and things to do around Texas and San Antonio.