Olga Adriana Herrera Barrientos

Taylorsville, Utah -

Olga Adriana Herrera Barrientos, 90, passed away peacefully in her home in Taylorsville, Utah on Sunday, August 28th, 2022, surrounded by her family.

She was born in Quilpue, Chile on March 15th, 1932.

Olga is preceded in death by her husband (Jose Miguel Alvarez), mother (Ester Barrientos), grandson (Sebastian Cisternas), and three brothers.

Olga is survived by her eldest daughter Isabel Alvarez (Jaime Cisternas), son Miguel Alvarez (Patricia Romano), seven grandchildren, and four great grandchildren, with two more on the way.

During her time in Quilpue, Olga would be found riding horses around the farm, playing with her younger brother, and helping her mom with household chores. At the age of nine, Olga’s mom took both her kids to Valparaiso, Chile, looking for a better life. It was at this young age that Olga started working after school in order to help provide for the family.

Olga studied to become a professional seamstress and she always loved using her skills to sew things for her family and loved ones.

In 1959, Olga met Jose Miguel Alvarez through a friend, and were married the following year. They had a daughter and a son. They were married for six years when her husband suddenly passed away after suffering a brain aneurism. As a single mom, she worked hard and held many different jobs to help provide for her two young children and mom, who lived with her until her passing.

As if her life wasn’t hard enough, Olga had to raise a family through the civil war and the Pinochet dictatorship in the 70’s. She always maintained a positive attitude and deep gratitude for everything she had, no matter how uncertain life was.

Knowing that money was tight, both her kids were hesitant to go to college after graduating high school. For Olga, her kids not furthering their education was not an option. Whenever things felt impossible, she’d always say “we will find a way”, and she always did. She supported both of her kids through college by holding several jobs and often walking everywhere to save the bus fare.

Olga loved knitting, sewing, cooking, and gardening but her biggest passion was to be of service to those she loved, especially her grandchildren.

After retiring, Olga decided to move in with her daughter and her family to help care for her grandson, Sebastian, who had cerebral palsy. Olga’s love for her family was so big that she did not hesitate to follow her daughter and family to the United States in order to continue to care for Sebastian and his two older sisters.

Food was Olga’s way to show her love and appreciation to family and friends. She was known for her impressive cooking skills and her ability to replicate recipes without ever writing them down or following a cookbook. She was known for her tenacity, stubbornness, work ethic, and her love of “yarn”. Everyone in the family was gifted some of her knitted creations at some point in their lives.

Please join us in celebrating her life Wednesday morning August 31st, 2022, between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. at Affordable Funerals and Cremations 4387 S 500 W Murray, UT 84123 followed by a service at Elysian Gardens at 1075 E 4580 S Murray, UT 84117