Community members remember victims of Uvalde school shooting after funeral services
UVALDE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Outside Robb Elementary School, the place where 19 children and two teachers were killed last week, is now a place for mourners to grieve and remember these young lives.
"All this makes me sad because I know them very good," Elia Gomez, who knew the Garcias.
Gomez has known Joe Garcia since he was born. She met Irma when the high school sweethearts married 25 years ago.
The two of them had combined funerals on Wednesday. Irma was a beloved teacher who shielded her students from the gunman, Joe was her husband who died two days later of a heart attack.
"Irma is a good teacher, she tried to stop this guy," added Gomez.
"This definitely has been hurting us a lot because we have known them for so many years and of course we've known Irma since they married joe and they've just been a happy couple they've been a happy family," said Patty Maltos who also knew the Garcias.
Delila Villanueva worked with Joe at H-E-B and attended his funeral.
"It was very emotional, very touching," she said, "It has touched a lot of our lives, I actually spoke to him maybe a few days prior to, I had bumped into him we were walking and he was like hello and I said hi, I never would have imagined that was the last time that I saw him."
The couples' story touched so many lives of the mourners who were grieving outside the elementary school.
"And for that teacher, that her husband was so heart-broken that he died and that they left four little ones and I just pray," said mourner Rosana Allen from San Antonio.
The family of 10-year-old Jose Flores held his funeral on Wednesday. The family said he loved music and dancing. The morning of the shooting he was honored for his academic work during the school year.
Three more funerals are planned for Thursday.