Manuel (Mani) Baca Fierro of Herndon, born May 31, 1971, died on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018. He was the treasured son of Bettie Baca of Herndon and the late Manuel (Manny) D. Fierro (El Paso, Texas). Immediate survivors include his loving mother Bettie and stepfather Alex Rodriguez of Herndon; his adored children Mason and Sierra Fierro, along with his former wife and dearest friend, Rachel Marie Fierro of Herndon; brothers Tino Fierro (Linden, Va.), Jonathan Fierro (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Jon Rican (Seattle, Wash.), along with their families; and stepsiblings Tobin, Justin and Leah Rodriguez of Boston, Mass., along with their families. Mani was born in 1971 after his parents moved to Western Kansas for the purpose of organizing farmworkers and low-income families to achieve better working and living conditions. Later, the family moved to Northern Virginia where Mani grew up. He attended Jeb Stuart (now Justice) High School in Falls Church and roamed (some say “owned”) the streets of Bailey’s Crossroads. He loved Virginia, considered himself a native and vowed never to leave. He left briefly to attend Northeastern University in Boston, graduating with a degree in Criminal Justice. He also served as an LBJ Fellow in the office of Congressman Esteban Torres in Washington, D.C. Mani worked for a time at the Washington, D.C. law firm Arnold and Porter before returning to Boston to earn a law degree from the New England School of law.
In law school he met his wife, Rachel Marie Bolduc. They married and together started the Herndon Law Firm in Virginia. Mani loved Herndon, and Herndon embraced him. He was a mentor to many, active as a little league coach, President of the Jeanie Schmidt Free Clinic, active in Rotary and Moose as well as innumerable civic activities.
Mani had a big welcoming personality, one that could turn a room of strangers into lifelong friends and admirers. A colleague remarked, “he was a helper of people, even if he knew they couldn’t pay, he helped them.” A community member said simply, “he gets us.”
The family will receive friends on Wednesday, Nov. 28, from 5-8 p.m. at ADAMS-GREEN Funeral Home 721 Elden Street, Herndon. A mass of Christian burial will be held on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018, at 10 a.m., at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 750 Peachtree Street, Herndon. Interment Chestnut Grove Cemetery.