Remembering Marco Antonio Hernández Guevara: A Father, Farmworker, and Life Lost Too Soon

With profound sorrow, we share the story of Marco Antonio Hernández Guevara, a 35-year-old farmworker, husband, and father of three, whose life was cut short after collapsing from heat stroke in the fields of Clewiston, Florida, earlier this month.

Marco came to the United States on an H-2A guestworker visa, leaving behind his wife, Reyna Jimenez, and their daughters, ages 4, 8, and 14. Like so many farmworkers, he accepted the dangerous and exhausting work of harvesting crops under Florida’s punishing sun because he wanted to give his family a better future. Before leaving Mexico this summer, Marco posed for a final family photo with his wife and youngest daughter—neither imagining that moment could be their last together.

On August 14, while working for JAM Farmers, Marco collapsed from extreme heat. He was rushed to the hospital, where he remained on life support until his passing. Reyna, granted a humanitarian visa, was able to be at his side in his final moments.

A Family’s Grief and Burden

Now, Reyna and her children face unimaginable grief. Alongside their heartbreak comes a crushing financial burden: travel costs, hospital expenses, legal arrangements to return Marco’s body home to Mexico, and the sudden loss of the sole income that supported their family.

Their struggle is one that no family should endure. Yet, for countless farmworkers and their loved ones, these tragedies are all too common.

The Larger Story: Heat, Labor, and Human Cost

Marco’s death is not an isolated incident—it is part of a broader crisis in American agriculture. Farmworkers, many of them migrants on temporary visas, labor long hours in sweltering conditions with limited protections. Despite the risks, federal labor standards still do not mandate universal heat protections such as regular water breaks, shade, and rest.

The Fair Food Program (FFP), a worker-driven initiative born in Immokalee, has proven that such protections save lives. Praised by The Washington Post as “the strongest set of workplace protections in the United States,” the FFP guarantees shade, hydration, and medical response protocols for participating farms. Yet Marco, like many others, worked outside the program’s coverage—without those enforceable safeguards.

As Reyna said through her grief:

“I would do anything to ensure that no one else ever has to go through what Marco and our family are going through today.”

Her words are not only a call to honor Marco’s memory, but also to demand systemic change so that no more families must suffer preventable losses.

How to Support Marco’s Family

In this moment of devastating loss, community members and advocates have come together to support Marco’s family. A fundraiser organized by Pastor Miguel Estrada has already raised over $12,000, more than half of its initial $20,000 goal. Every contribution helps alleviate the enormous costs Marco’s family now faces.

👉 Donate here to support Marco’s wife and daughters: GoFundMe – Help Support the Family of Marco Antonio Hernández Guevara

Even the smallest gift can make a tremendous difference in bringing stability to Reyna and her children as they face this painful new reality.

Carrying Marco’s Legacy Forward

Marco’s story is a reminder that the food on our tables is grown at great human cost, too often borne by the most vulnerable workers. His sacrifice cannot be allowed to fade into silence. By standing with his family, supporting worker-driven protections like the Fair Food Program, and demanding stronger labor standards, we can honor Marco’s memory and help ensure that no more lives are needlessly lost to the fields.

✍️ Written by Danika Joy Fornear for community solidarity and remembrance.