Maria Del Rayo Duarte Hernandez

Maria Duarte, of Guilderland, NY, passed away at her daughter’s home on Friday, March 27th, 2026, at the age of 108. She was born in the Village of La Yerbabuena, near the City of Parral, Mexico. With five sisters, three brothers, and a close-knit extended family, she had a childhood full of adventure. Her family then moved to Parral, where she worked as an Administrative Assistant. There, she married Marcos Hernandez Guzman, and they raised their five children, Marcos (Coco), Carlos (Patricia), Horacio (Mapi), Griselda (David), and Jorge (Silvia).

Maria and Marcos owned both a farm and a general store, which Maria ran as full-time manager, as well as a valued source to the neighborhood for various forms of practical guidance. Upon later moving to the City of Chihuahua, Maria and Marcos owned a cheese market, and she owned and operated a knitting shop, in which she offered classes to women, children, and even a few men in which she shared her formidable knitting abilities.

Following retirement and the death of her husband, in 2006, Maria moved to Slingerlands, NY to live with her daughter and son-in-law. For a number of years, Maria enthusiastically joined in the activities of the Guilderland Senior Center, where she could express her fascination with numbers in running the weekly bingo games. Although slowing down with age, Maria maintained her exceptionally good health, up until early March.

Maria is survived by four of her children, ten grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren.