In Memory of Edgardo Cruz Hernandez
It is with deep sadness and gratitude for a life well lived that we announce the peaceful passing of Edgardo Cruz Hernandez on February 14, at the age of 67.
Edgar was born in Quezon City, Philippines, and immigrated to Canada in 1980, where he built a life rooted in faith, family, and service to others. He will be remembered as a devoted husband, proud father, respected colleague, and a dedicated teacher and coach who touched the lives of many through his patience, encouragement, and quiet leadership.
Edgar is lovingly remembered by his wife, Maria Cielo (Bernardo) Hernandez; his daughters, Monica (Nicholas), Katrina (Samuel), and Isabel; his cherished grandchildren, Caleb, Ella, and Samina; his siblings, Jon (Mary) and Mercedes (Karl); and his father, Anatolio. He was predeceased by his mother, Felisa, and his first wife, Christine (Fabros) Hernandez.
Visitation will be held on February 26 at 5-8pm at the Heritage Funeral Complex, 1250 Trim Road, Orléans, Ontario. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on February 27 at 11am at Divine Infant Parish, 6658 Bilberry Drive, Orléans, Ontario, followed by a reception at the church.
Donations in Edgardo’s memory may be made to the Ottawa Hospital Foundation, in support of Dr. Schlossmacher’s research in multiple system atrophy.
The family extends heartfelt thanks to Edgar’s devoted healthcare providers and caregivers for their compassionate care and support.
Mr. Hernandez was my second dad. I absolutely loved his kindness towards me, my family and my children. Dad Hernandez, thanks for always welcoming me to your home and treating me like your own. To Monica, Katrina and Isabelle, know that I’m praying for you all and my deepest condolences.
Love you all!
Our family (the Mandanas Family) is truly grateful to Egay, Cielo, Isabel and his daughters Monica & Katrina for we were able to spend a memorable Christmas with all of you in 2018. We will never forget your warm accommodation to our family. You welcome not only us but the rest of Rene’ relatives in your beautiful home in Canada. We cooked and laughed in preparing food for Christmas day. First time for my husband to have a bbq session with Egay in snow. You prepped Rene by giving him the jacket and baclava while roasting outside in snow. That was so thoughtful & considerate of Egay. Our kids fondly remember him for he spoiled them with the cream puff & other desserts they truly like.
As years went by, you kept us updated especially when your health condition took its toll on you. I can feel your high hopes whenever you emailed us. And I can also sense your total trust in the Lord.
Egay, you fight a good fight and you entrusted everything to God. Rest well… We will surely miss you. It is heaven’s turn now to enjoy your company because they gained another angel up there. My family pray that you rest in perfect peace in the bosom of the Almighty….
For Cielo, Isabel, Monica and Katrina (the beautiful angels of Egay on earth), we pray for your comfort & healing at this very difficult time of grief. Hugtight to all of you. We will always be here for you.
i will always remember Ed as the loving husband of our dear friend Cielo,who took her to Canada to start a beautiful life as a family. Though she will live far from us ,we are so happy for her next chapter in life after our residency years here in the Philippines. We pray that with Isabel, you can move forward with strength. May God comfort your heart and surround u both with love and support.. Pasabi ka lang when you are here in Manila. May Ed rest in peace
I am truly and deeply saddened by the news of Egay”s passing. Memories came quickly and reminded me of how fragile can be. My mind suddenly flashed of the 80’s, our friendship and time together. He was my “buddy” at the time when we were both trying to find our way in Canada, discovering places, meeting people, making some social and personal connections. With all these activities, Egay never lost his focus on the future. He went back to school (BCIT) and then decided to move to Ottawa. I also decided to go back to school, and so our worlds went separate ways. When Egay came to Vancouver to visit, he tried to connect and we shared moments to talk about the old times and our fun days together. I last saw him in September of 2022. He was always very calm, friendly, composed and cheerful, I enjoyed his company for his honesty. kindness and for being a true gentleman.
As our families grew, so were our priorities. With geographical distance, the limitations to maintain contact increased. However, I always treasure my memories of Egay, our shared experiences and our friendship. They will always be there for me to enjoy, reminisce and remind me of the good old times during my times of solitude….the thoughts, reflections of my friend.
This is tryly a difficult and sad time, and my family a I extend our sincerest condolences to all the Hernandez family. May the good Lord bless Egay’s soul and may he rests in peace for all eternity.
To Edgar’s Entire Family,
Sending you all my sincere condolences. Please keep your family and friends close and treasure your special memories. He was a Wonderful, compassionate and special person. I worked with Edgar and he was the Best. Always took care of us and always added his Special Touch at Valentine’s Day by making sure all the Ladies had a Red Rose in a vase with their names added to it. Always took time for us also and was our Go To Guy, he seemed to always find the answer to our questions (Amazingly). He will be so very missed! He has found peace and will be watching from above to make sure we all behave and give our best. He was so proud of his family and spoke of you all highly and in a special way. I want to Thank you for allowing us to share his friendship, leadership and support, that’s who Edgar was. I will treasure all the memories he created for us. He was and always will be a Very Special part of my life. I will dearly miss him.
Diane Couturier
Edgar and I were coworkers in IT at The Royal, and while working together was always enjoyable it will be the times that we teased each other that I will miss the most! Edgar was a true gentlemen who also had a great sense of humor that lit up the room when he walked in it. He will certainly be missed!
I had the pleasure of working closely with Edgar from 2017-2019 on a large scale project. Edgar was a kind and giving soul, the sort of person who had an extraordinary ability to make everyone feel welcome. From my very first days as a project manager working with a new team, he went out of his way to make sure I felt supported and included. He was truly a “take the shirt off his back” kind of person—always willing to help, always generous with his time, and always thinking of others before himself.
Even after my project had ended in 2019, Edgar and I stayed in touch. We continued our PM networking calls until a couple of years ago while he was still able, and those conversations are something I deeply cherish. Despite the challenges of his illness, he showed such strength, grace, and positivity. That was simply who he was.
I will always remember Edgar for his warmth, his generosity, and the genuine care he showed to everyone around him.
My heart is with all of the family.
I consider myself lucky to have been a friend to Edgar and to have gotten to know Cielo and Isabel. He was truly a special person. Kind, considerate and helpful. I knew him as a warm and eager to help co-worker and it turned into friendship. We would walk at lunch and talk. There was laughter and wisdom during those walks. He loved life and people. He so loved his family and would proudly talk about them and their achievements.
Cielo your strength through this is so admirable.
Please know that he lives on in our hearts and memories.
Hilda
Magandang gabi/ magandang umaga sa lahat.
Ako ay si Redel Cruz Catapia na pinsan ni Edgar, marami akong masasayang memories with Edgar.
Masaya na naaalala ko mahilig sumali si Edgar sa marathon hanggang San Mateo ay nakakarating siya, sya lang ang apo ng Lolo Tuyong na sumasali sa ganong competition.
Bata pa kami, marahil ay 1970’s na nagorganize si Edgar ng family gathering sa bahay ng aming Lolo Tuyong sa San Mateo, Rizal, masaya kaming magpipinsan nagsasayaw kami ng disco kasama din ang aming mga kapitbahay.
Noong 2015 na dumalaw kami sa Vancouver ay sobrang saya ng aking pamilya at lalong naging napakasaya na sinorpresa kami ng pamilya ni Edgar kasama si Cielo at Isabel. Sobrang naappreciate namin ang effort ng kanyang pamilya mula Ottawa nagpunta ng Vancouver para makapagbonding kami kasama ang Hernandez family.
2023 noong huling paguwi ng pamilya ni Edgar sa Pilipinas may sakit na sya at nagkaroon uli ng family get together sa San Mateo. Ramdam namin ang pagmamahal nya sa pamilya at ang pagiging masayahin .
Salamat Edgar sa pagmamahal sa pamilya Cruz.
Mamimiss ka naming lahat.
Our deepest condolences
May his soul rest in peace
Edgar was my professor and mentor at Algonquin college. He was kind, compassionate and fatherly. He gave his all even when going through pains. I am grateful to have met him.
My condolences to the whole family.
May his gentle soul rest in peace.
Dupe
Edgar was not just our professor at Algonquin College; he was a remarkable mentor whose influence extended far beyond the classroom. His deep commitment to sharing knowledge was matched only by his kindness and genuine support for his students. He had a unique ability to inspire and uplift everyone around him. We will carry his memory in our hearts.
My deepest condolences to his family.
Growing up with Egay as my older brother was never dull. He was always on the move.
When Egay was in 4th year high school and I was in 2nd year, there was a school camping trip. He asked me if I would like to join his group. He asked his friends and got permission from the school. So we went on a camping trip together. Our group was cool, we had a generator! Our tent was the only one with electricity. Not too many older brothers would do that.
Back in the 70’s, I remember he really liked dancing to Long Train Running by the Doobie Brothers. Somewhere up there, he’s now free to dance again. We’ll all miss him.
Dear Tito Egay, my fondest memory of you was when you, me and my dad cooked barbecue outside if your house back in December 25, 2018 14:30. This was such a core memory for me because as silly as it sounds, it was the first time I have experienced grilling meat in a snow-filled backyard. I found the experience interesting as usually when we grill meat in the Philippines, it is partnered with the heat of Manila. I do not remember why we decided to do that back then – but I remember that you really wanted to show us your clay pot of which you guaranteed was able to cook anything at any given time. And cook meat at negative temperature it did – I also recall the conversations we had in that moment. We got to know one another, we got to talk about our school, Ateneo de Manila and how it was back then compared to how it was at that point in time. I enjoyed our conversations and exchanges – I immediately knew that you are the type of person who is Kind, Generous and most importantly, loving. You are so humble and generous to our family that you let us stay in your house during that time. It was the first time we have met another and yet it felt like we knew each other for a longer period of time. I value and cherish this shared moment together because it has been etched in my memory as something so simple/silly yet it showed exactly what kind of person you are. After we left your house I immediately thought about the next time I would be able to experience such a memory again – let alone cook meat in winter with you me and my dad. I always looked forward to being able to visit you Tita Cielo and Isabel in Canada again. As much as this is no longer possible I will always remember you this way – I will always cherish this memory of us: three men cooking meat during snow. I chose this photo of you and my dad because in this angle, the two of you kind of look alike. I thank you for showing this kind of kindness and I will do my very best to honor you by passing it on along the way. You and your family are loved and we will always keep you all in our prayers.