Terry H.R. Vazquez

Terry H.R. Vazquez, who was born Hortencia Amanda Rivera, passed away on March 22, 2026, at 95.5 years of age. She was a first-generation U.S. Citizen born to parents who each came to El Paso from Mexico in 1926. Her father, Ernesto Rivera, from Durango, and her mother, Isabel Jasso, from Mexico City.

Terry’s mother gave birth to her at home with the help of a midwife on October 13, 1930. She was the third oldest in a family of 9 who were also born with the help of a midwife. She attended several schools, including Guardian Angel, Zavala, Alta Vista, El Paso High, El Paso Technical, and Tri-State Beauty School which launched her career in Cosmetology. It was during her training to become a licensed hairstylist that her instructor convinced her to change her name from Hortencia, to the “easier to pronounce American name”, Terry.

She married her grade school sweetheart Victor M. Vazquez, Sr., in 1951, with whom she gave birth to 4 children who in turn brought them 10 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

With the help of her husband’s construction skills, Terry built and opened her first Beauty Salon in 1955. The Prima Donna House of Beauty was a bustling business with up to 20 stylists. It was located on the 1st floor of what was once her mother-in-law’s two-story house on El Paso’s very busy Montana St. Unfortunately, family trouble led to its demise and a divorce that lasted 7 years. That’s when they remarried each other at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Anaheim, California. After that they opened Victor’s Hairstyles. Terry operated the salon with her daughter, Sandra, while Victor Sr. worked on the offshore oil rigs in Long Beach.

When Terry could literally no longer stand to style hair due to pain in her legs and hands, and a change of career for her daughter, Sandra, she turned to working Real Estate and Construction projects with her husband and children, Hugo, Sandra, Sandra’s husband Dennis, and Victor, Jr. Together they built and sold apartments throughout Anaheim.

When Terry and Victor, Sr, reached retirement age, they returned to their birthplace in El Paso where they finished building their dream home on the east side of the Franklin Mountain. It’s located on a lot they had purchased in the mid 60’s, a block away from an auditorium where they had held their wedding reception. At that time the auditorium was known as The Phoenician Club, a property owned by the Masons which rented it for private parties.

After Victor, Sr. passed away in 2004, Terry lived the rest of her life in the house they had built with the same rocks found in Franklin Mountain. It was a solid base for the matriarch who seemed to have been given the gift of longevity from her mother, Isabel, who passed away at the age of 29 while giving birth to her 9th child, Antonio Rivera. In fact, that longevity was also passed on to the rest of Terry’s brothers and sisters who have reached their 80’s and 90’s in life.

Ernesto Rivera, Jr, the oldest, who passed away at the age of 85 in El Paso

Olga Morales, made it to 87 in Anaheim

Little Enrique is the exception; the flu claimed his life at the age of 3 in 1934 in El Paso

Aurora, aka Nona and Boris, is with us today in El Paso at age 93

Socorro, Soquis, Gmyrek, passed away at 89 years of age in Palm Springs

John Rivera, made it 84 in El Paso

And Antonio, Tony, Rivera, who’s going strong at 87 years of age in Northern California.

Then there’s the last chapter of Ernesto Rivera Sr’s Family, which started when Terry’s widowed father married Enriqueta Torres in 1941. Together they had two children:

Ignacio Nacho Rivera, who survived his twin sister at birth, and today hails at 84 years of age.

…and finally, but still strong, Chelo “Connie” Rivera, at 83 years of life in San Diego.

Terry was preceded in death by her youngest son, Hugo, who is survived by 4 children, Landon and his wife Lindsey, and Hugo’s daughter, Chantel, all living in Southern California near their mother Alexandra Tejeda. Hugo is also survived by children, Jude, his sister, Cassandra, and their mother Paty Cabada, all living in Texas.

The rest of Terry’s surviving children include Victor, Jr., wife, Margarita, El Paso, and their sons, Victor Ramon, Houston, and Daniel, El Paso.

Sandra Diamond and husband, Dennis of Las Vegas, and their daughter, Victoria and husband, Erik, and son, Erik, Jr, Little Elm, Tx. They were all preceded in death by Sandra & Dennis’ son, Nicholas Diamond who is survived by his widow, Anahi and their children, Xavier, Selene, Axel, and Isaiah.

Orlando Vazquez, Sr. who was preceded in death by his wife, Mary, in Anaheim. Their sons, Orlando, Jr. and Luke, alive and well in Anaheim.

Terry led her life with a blazing, charismatic personality she expressed through hair styles, modeling, and business expertise. She left this world softly, like a candle that burned away all its wax and wick.

May God help her Rest In Peace.