Her parents were Hermenegildo Pérez Ruiz, native of Regla, Havana, Cuba, and Carmen Manzanares Sosa, native of the city of Camaguey, Cuba.
During her infancy, as well as part of her adolescence, she lived on Manzano Street between Manzanedo and Saragoza, in the city of Matanzas, and she always used to say (it seems for the love of her region) that Matanzas was more beautiful than Cienfuegos.
She had two sisters, from both her father and mother, Aurora and Eloisa, older than her. Eloisa died during childbirth, when she was very young.
Her father, Hermenegildo, died when he was quite young. His widow, Carmen, married a second time with Mr. Pedro Carreño Rodríguez, having from this new marriage several children, who are, in chronological order, Avelina, Elvira, Micaela, Juana, Pedro and Salvador.
María Esperanza was reared and educated by her aunt and uncle, María (Cheché) Manzanares Sosa, sister of Carmen, and Eduardo Terán, the husband of María (Cheché). María Esperanza always maintained very good remembrances of them, because they always loved her as if she was their own daughter providing her with a comfortable life. They took her with them in their travels to Madrid, Spain, where they stayed for some time, where she took piano lessons, went on a lot of outings, and always remembered the famous bull-fights that she saw.
My mother Esperanza with my oldest sister Alicia, in Cienfuegos, Cuba, 1906.
When they returned to Cuba, she continued studying and obtained a Teacher’s Degree, although she never worked outside the home.
She also learned to do many labors like sewing and embroidery. In that era, the woman was reared to be a good wife and stay at home.
When María Esperanza was very young, her uncle, Eduardo Terán, was sent to the city of Cienfuegos to inspect some works that were being done by the gas company where he worked, and for that reason the three of them lived for some time in the city of Cienfuegos on Velazco Street, between San Fernando and San Carlos, nowadays 23rd Street, between 54th and 56th Avenues.
Once installed in this city, María Esperanza continued studying and also started taking typing lessons at the Cienfuegos School. It was here in this school that she met the man who later would become her husband, Alberto Martínez Blanchard, the school owner and schoolmaster. Her aunt, María, would always accompany María Esperanza to the school. Alberto who fell in love with María Esperanza from the first time he saw her, but did not get any opportunity to talk with her in private because her aunt would not separate from her, one day he decided when María Esperanza had progressed more in her typing lessons, to give her a draft of a letter so that she would type it clean. Alberto was a very attractive man with an engaging personality. This letter was his love declaration. María Esperanza had not been expecting this declaration from him and was very surprised.
After this happened, María Esperanza decided to tell her aunt and uncle. Her aunt and uncle, considering that Alberto was a fine and educated man, thought that if María Esperanza liked him, she could go ahead and accept him in matrimony, and that was how they got engaged.
Sometime soon after this had happened, the works at the gas company were finished and for this reason the aunt and uncle, having to return to Matanzas, decided that María Esperanza and Alberto should marry before they would leave Cienfuegos. It was in this way that only a few months later they were married on the 10th of
May 1903, at the Cathedral Church of Cienfuegos.
My sisters Alicia and Emma and my brothers Luis and Albert, 1914.
Once they were married, they lived on San Fernando Street, between Prado and Gacel, nowadays 54th Avenue, between 35th and 37th Streets, in the house next to the school building. María Esperanza was a beautiful and gracious woman, medium height, light brown eyes and black straight hair, which with her white clear skin gave a radiant general effect. Her character and personality were always very congenial and the persons she met always felt very friendly towards her. Her clear intelligence permitted her to help her husband in the administration of the school.
Sometime soon after this, and for the purpose of expanding the school, they moved to Prado Street, between Santa Clara and Arguelles Streets, nowadays 37th Street, between 50th and 52nd Avenues, and the family house next to the school, on Arguelles Street, between Prado and Gacel Streets, nowadays 52nd Avenue, between 35th and 37th Streets. Here were born their first four children, Alicia on 19th February 1905, Albert on 3rd July 1906 who died when young, Luis on 14th January 1909 and Emma on 6th December 1911. Their youngest daughter Elsie was born much later on 30th March 1923.
Esperanza was a good mother and wife, also always ready and willing to help her husband with the school administration, principally with what referred to the student interns section. María Esperanza could always count with good domestic service and, therefore, she was able to enjoy outings and foreign travels with her husband during vacation and summer months.
Elsie Martínez-Blanchard , one year old, 1924.
They travelled on occasions to New York because they would go to see their oldest daughter, Alicia, who studied in New Rochelle, in a religious college for young women. During their stay in New York, also with his sister Carlota, they would visit the stores to shop. They also attended conventions in New York of societies they belonged to in Cuba, and also would spend summers at the Coney Island Beach.
They rode in an automobile, made in 1915, that Alberto himself drove. They attended on many occasions the Tomas Terry Theater in Cienfuegos, where many good plays were presented. They also went to the movie theater to see the silent movies of those years.
Years later, their youngest daughter Elsie was born on 30th March 1923 (on Good Friday) at 12 o’clock mid-day. Elsie, a name that María Esperanza always would tell that she picked after having had a dream where she read in the social pages of the newspaper the names of the attendees to a party. Three names would grow larger as if to indicate, through this dream, that a daughter would be born that should be called by the names of Elsie, Nancy or Nice. On the following day, she told her husband about the dream and decided to name this new daughter Elsie, and also Marguerithe Raquel because Alberto also liked those names.
Life continued well, María Esperanza always dedicated to her husband, their children and household duties. She liked to cook and prepared delicious desserts. She also liked sewing and made dresses for their daughters to wear. She would also sew dresses for herself, and the colors she preferred were black, or white and black.
In the year 1936, their son Luis, who had graduated from the University of Havana in Electrical Engineering was married to María Dolores de la Torre Gómez, in Havana, Cuba, where they stayed because of his work, although they did travel to Cienfuegos every year during the summer months and stayed with the family, and from this marriage two granddaughters were given to María Esperanza, Lillian Alicia and Giselle Estrella Martinez-Blanchard de la Torre.
In the year 1942, their daughter Alicia, was married to Virgilio Regueira Buján, and from this marriage two grandsons were given to María Esperanza, Virgilio Alberto and Alberto de Jesús Regueira Martinez-Blanchard.
On 26th December 1947, their daughter Emma, was married to Severiano Albuerne Capote, and from this marriage two granddaughters were given to María Esperanza, Aimeé Anicia and Margarita Emma Albuerne Martinez-Blanchard
On 28th December 1947, their daughter Elsie was married to Leonardo Inclán Artze, and from this marriage one grandson was given to María Esperanza, Leonardo Alberto Inclán Martinez-Blanchard.
On 30th August 1957, their daughter Elsie married a second time to Leopoldo Jova González and from this marriage two grandsons were given to María Esperanza, Leopoldo Pedro and Ricardo Sandalio Jova Martinez-Blanchard.
María Esperanza helped a lot in rearing her grandchildren, because her daughters would leave to go to work, and she helped by taking care of them until they were old enough to go to school.
Esperanza had a very long life. Her husband had died when he was 81 years old, in 1949. Due to her long life, she had the privilege in her lifetime to know some of her great-grandchildren. Among them, we can mention Virgilio Regueira Molina, Alberto and Sergio Regueira Mesa, Mailene Inclán Hernández de Medina, Alejandro and Mariela Socarrás Albuerne, Margarita and Juan Salas Albuerne, and Carlos Alberto Regueira Pérez.
In the year 1952, when she was 70 years old, María Esperanza was operated on emergency for gall- bladder, where stones and sandy substance were found, and she was operated at the Modern Clinic situated on the Calzada de Dolores. She had an excellent post-operation term and was given thirteen stitches in the wound. After this, she continued with her active life of always and she lived for three more decades.
After her 100th birthday, little by little she started to decline and lose her appetite and would eat very small portions. She had her family doctor tending to her at all times during this time, and also her grandson Dr. Leonardo Alberto Inclán Martinez-Blanchard, who had become an orthopedic surgeon by that time, and who was at all times helping her during her crisis. She received treatment to open her appetite and grow stronger. Her hemoglobin level was maintained well and, therefore, a transfusion was not needed. Since she was allergic to penicillin she was treated with another antibiotic.
Later on, after her 101st birthday, she completely gave up eating and would lie down. In this way things, she got pneumonia in her left lung. Her body being already too old, she died on a Thursday, the 16th June 1983, at 2:45 PM, and was buried the next day because at that time of year it rained a lot and burials would not get done on time.
She was tended at the Pujol Funerary House in the upper floor in the chapel on the right. She was dressed by some of her grandchildren with an almost new dress, the same one she wore for her 100th birthday. Her face looked very restful and at peace. Many friends, neighbors, relatives and many co-workers of her grandchildren, physician doctors, nurses, etc. attended her burial. She was buried next to her husband like she wished, in their vault at the Tomas Acea Cemetery.
A great friend of the family, Mr. Joe Vil Pastrana, made María Esperanza a member of the Little Flower Society, a few days after her death, under the patronage of Saint Teresa, where she will be remembered at all masses, Liturgical Services and special prayers offered for all its members for eternal peace in the happiness of Paradise.
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