Manuel Herrera Jr. and Josephine Anne Huerta both went to Wakefield Jr. High in the 9th grade. The following year, they advanced to Tucson High, the only high school in Tucson at that time, and graduated together in May of 1944.
Josephine Anne Huerta
Josie was born in Tucson on May 29, 1926, on 4th Avenue. She had eight sisters and one brother, and they all lived together in the two-bedroom house with their mom and dad, who worked downtown as a jeweler. They had many memorable adventures on their property, where they had an outhouse, a shed, a water tank, and fruit trees galore.
Josie attended the original Sunnyside schoolhouse, which was located at the southwest corner of Nogales Hwy and Valencia. Her education continued at Wakefield Jr. High, where seating charts were arranged in alphabetical order; it was there, seated directly in front of her, where she first met Manuel Herrera Jr.
Of course, Josie’s high school experience was even more exciting than 9th grade. She loved and admired the teachers at Tucson High, and they became her role models. After graduation, she had many choices to make. She was offered a job at the school as an assistant to the Graphic Arts teacher, Mr. Goldstein; she also had a job offer from the Air Inspectors Office at Davis Monthan Air Force Base (D.M.). But the choice was an easy one, Josie excelled and enjoyed stenography, so she accepted the position at D.M. and began the day after graduating from Tucson High. However, her career was short-lived, as it ended after three years out of necessity.
Manuel Herrera Jr.
Manny was born in Tucson on August 15, 1926, and grew up in South Tucson on 31st Street and 8th Avenue with his younger brother, Eddie. After graduating from Tucson High, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy to fight in The Great War (World War II). However, Manny left Tucson with a heavy heart. His mother had passed away shortly after he expressed a desire to join the Navy. Consequently, Manny believed that his decision to join the war effort had caused his mother too much stress, negatively impacting her health and ultimately leading to her death. Yet, despite his guilt, he felt obligated to serve. In recounting the story to his family, 
Manny explained that “at that time, the nation was so cohesive, and everyone was working toward the war effort. People were proud to serve.” And he did his part, serving aboard the U.S.S. Carmick for a year.
Yet, Manny’s service was cut short when he was injured. A mine exploded during a routine sweep, and he was thrown onto his back, taking shrapnel in his stomach. When Manny returned home, he began dreaming of the young woman that had sat behind him at Wakefield Jr. High. He visited Josie’s house many times before he found her home. She had been on her very first vacation, in Oak Creek Canyon, with her sister Conchita. Manny asked Josie’s parents for permission to take her out on a date. They said it was okay, but only with a chaperone.
The First Date
The day arrived, and Dolores (Loly for short) was the selected chaperone. When it came time to get into Manny’s car, Loly jumped in first. Josie stood open-mouthed. “Loly, It’s my Date!” The three of them went swimming at the Santa Rita Pool on 22nd, followed by a meal at Caruso on 4th Ave. (The dinner, plus wine, cost a whopping $7.50.) After that, the dates were minus the chaperone.
Manny wasted no time in speaking about marriage. However, Josie told him that she was dating someone else who had also gone into the Navy. They were not engaged and so the two of them had agreed to date other people. Josie still felt that she didn’t want to rush into anything too serious and suggested they wait on marriage. 
Manny pressed Josie, wanting her to break up with her other boyfriend. But Josie refused to write a Dear John letter, desiring to wait until he came home to speak with him face-to-face. Manny said, “If you don’t, I’ll re-up.”
After taking Josie to meet his parents, Manny gave her a choice. “Do you want a December or a June wedding?” It wasn’t a romantic proposal, but she accepted. Josie picked June 7, the same date as her parents’ anniversary. It wasn’t that the date was more memorable, but it gave her time to plan and build up savings. Neither one of them wanted to place the financial burden on their parents.
The Wedding
They dated for a little more than six months before getting married on June 7, 1947.
It was a beautiful but simple ceremony on a June morning. Josie’s wedding dress was the same one used by her older sisters. Her bouquet was made of Calla Lillies. Evelyn (Josie’s best friend) was Maid of Honor, and her husband served as Best Man. Hot Chocolate and Pan de Huevo were served at the reception, where Fresh played the piano, and a friend sang. After the ceremony, they headed off for their honeymoon in Manny’s 1937 Chevy. The plan was to visit the Grand Canyon, Oak Creek, and Sedona; but, on their way, they took a wrong turn and headed to Los Angeles with $300.00 in their pockets. Regardless, they enjoyed two weeks of motels, movies, and meals. They even bought a radio/phonograph to add to their meager furnishings, but they still came back with change in their pockets.
The first place they lived in was an apartment built by Manny’s father during the Great Depression located on 31st Street and 8th Avenue in South Tucson. It was shoebox-shaped, but a tad bigger—it had a small living room, a kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a small porch. At that time, Manny was working at Le Caves Bakery on 6th Ave., making $32.50 a week while Josie continued working at Davis Monthan. One Sunday Manny asked his boss if he could have Sundays off so he could join Josie at Mass. His boss said, “all you cadilacs just want time off! No.” Manny got angry and threw his apron down and left. No job, no pay. Fortunately, he was able to get a job cocooning airplanes at Davis Monthan when Alice (another sister of Josie’s) told him to come into Personnel.
The Family
Morning sickness was preventing Josie from getting to work on time. Her boss was understanding, but the doctor felt that a sitting job was especially risky for a first pregnancy. Josie loved her job and hated to quit, but it was for their baby’s health, so it was not a hard decision. She stopped working.
About eight months into the pregnancy, Manny and Josie woke up in the middle of the night to serenading outside of their bedroom. Manny looked out the window and saw her old boyfriend singing away. He immediately grabbed his old rifle from the closet and ran outside. The inebriated boyfriend opened his shirt, bared his chest, and said, “Go ahead. Shoot me.” Of course, Manny’s rifle wasn’t even loaded. Josie laughed hysterically at such an amusing scene.
Their first child was born on June 6, 1948, and they named her Maria Teresa. Maria’s crib was in the bedroom with Manny and Josie. A year later, a boy arrived on July 25, 1949. His name was Manuel Herrera III. Daddy Manny was thrilled. However, the shoebox house was starting to get crowded, so they converted the porch into a second bedroom. The third child, David Anthony, arrived on November 19, 1950, and joined the other children in the makeshift bedroom. Josie became pregnant again. She knew they would have to move soon. The fourth child arrived, and it was a girl. Yolanda Dolores was born on May 27, 1952. Josie’s gynecologist asked her if she wanted to end up in the looney house. It was then that Josie said, “We have to start looking for a house or turn the kitchen into a bedroom if we have a fifth one, and that is not happening!”
The House
They started hunting for a new home and ended up in the Mission Manor area, where houses were being built for the returning veterans. A three-bedroom house with a garage cost $8,000.00, which was a lot of money in 1952. Manny had to work extra jobs to make the monthly $52.00 payments and to cover all the expenses that come from raising a large family. After they settled into the new home, the fifth child, Rebecca Anne, was born on August 21, 1953.
South Tucson Memories
Manny’s father didn’t want Manny and Josie to leave South Tucson as he enjoyed living close to his grandkids. He was sad to see them go. So, after church, every Sunday, the family would spend time with the Herrera grandparents in South Tucson and then would visit the Huerta grandparents.
The Additions
After a brief break, Josie gave birth to their sixth child, Cecilia, on July 19, 1957. And soon after that, Josie was afraid to appear before her gynecologist as she knew what he would say. Her seventh child, James Steven, was born on February 4, 1959.
These last two additions required a home extension. They enclosed the carport, converting it to a fourth bedroom. It was used as a dorm for the three boys while the four girls shared the other two bedrooms.
Manny had taken on two extra jobs, in addition to the US Postal Service, but somehow still managed to take the family on a month-long vacation every summer. He and Josie would pack up the station wagon and take the kids either to the White Mountains or San Diego. However, before leaving, the house had to be cleaned from top to bottom, and a bug bomb would be released right before the doors were locked. No bugs could party while the family was away on vacation.
Vacation Memories
During trips, the routine was to count heads after every stop; however, on one memorable occasion, this routine was not followed. While traveling to the White Mountain, they stopped in Globe for a rest stop and food. On this occasion, the car had been more packed than usual, so no one noticed when two heads were absent upon resuming the drive. The others did not complain that Yoli and Becky were missing, they had more room to sit without being squished. Sometime later, Manny and Josie counted heads and realized that two kids were missing. They immediately turned around. And, on the way back to Globe, they saw the two scared girls walking on the side of the road.
Once at the campsite, everyone walked around to stretch their legs and remove trash and rocks from the ground. This was called Policing the Area. If you’ve ever slept on the ground and failed to remove even the smallest pebble before setting up the tent, you’d realize the importance of the task. After setting up camp, scary stories were told around the fire. Kids were taught how to brush their teeth from a cup and a little bit of water. Baths were taken in the creek on Saturday, and we still went to church every Sunday, even in the wilderness. A priest would come and set up an altar, and we sat on rocks or whatever was available. Years later, a beautiful church was built there in Sedona blending into the huge boulders that formed the mountains.
Those were happy days. The children learned how to live without a television or all the other little comforts of home. These experiences made them survivors.
Epilogue
Manny and Josie’s story began in 1947 and continues on in the love they share. The years were not easy, but they were good. And, they are proud of their children and grandchildren. Of the life they shared together. Of the legacy they built.