HURST, TX – Maria Altagracia Rodriguez   Age 85 years “Young at Heart” Date of Birth  09 October 1927 Date of Restful  Peace   25 December 2012 Funeral: 7:00 P.M. Saturday at Mayfield Kiser Funeral Home in Burleson. Visitation: 2 hours prior to the service. In lieu of flowers please make monetary tributes to the family of Mrs. Rodriguez. Maria Altagracia Rodriguez was born in Santiago de Los Caballeros, Republica Dominicana.  The eldest of five siblings to their loving parents Jose y Graciela Rodriguez.  At a very early age, she demonstrated her love of sewing. In the late 1940’s, she met the love of her life, Cesar Rolando Herrera. They were married & through that union, Roland Herrera was born and shortly after Roseli Matheson Herrera. In 1961, she immigrated to the United States where she was given the endearing title of “Boni Facia” by her sponsoring cousin.  Within the year, through great sacrifice and selflessness, she became a resident and prepared a loving home filled with the necessities of life. She was able to acquire residencies for her husband and children who arrived shortly after to New York. When she would return to her birthplace, it was to care for those in need. Through the years that followed she went to F.I.T. (Fashion Institute of Technology) gaining a degree in Pattern Graphing and gained impressive experience from companies such as Evan Picone . Her reward the epitome of her fashion career was Perry Ellis Designs.  She was his personal sample maker.  Her encounters with big name designers such as Oscar de La Renta, Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera were among the few.  She retired in early 1990’s and made a drastic move to Texas where she learned to drive at the age of 70.  Throughout her working career apart from her work responsibilities and her love & dedication to her family, her passion of sewing encouraged her to explore and expand her abilities in other areas such as weddings and interior decorating to the public when that five o’clock whistle blew. Above and beyond the accomplishments in this life, the greatest was her Faith.  Throughout all of her life, Altagracia demonstrated her great love and faith to the heavenly Father. Around the year 1973, she joined the Jehovah’s Witness congregation of which she learned, shared and lived by faith what she believed.  Sharing with everyone she came in contact with her great love of her Saviour. Altagracia was preceded in death by her loving parents, Jose and Graciela Rodriguez; her brother, Jose Rodriguez; her sister, Carmen Perez and her beloved Cesar Rolando Herrera and their first child. SURVIVORS: Son, Roland Herrera, Daughter, Roseli (Smith) Matheson, sisters, Antonia Rodriguez, Talita Reeves, grandchildren, Brenda & Jason, Angela & Bryan , Michael , Azalia & Trey, Hannah & Jason.  Great- grandchildren, Wyatt, Abby, Raven , Ayla , Owen, Korbyn, Georgia, Suzi  and a host of other relatives and friends that are too numerous to mention. Last but not least her beloved dog, Junior.