Owner of Plano restaurant shares memories of the Cho family
ALLEN (CBSNewsTexas.com) – Every life lost in the Allen outlet mall mass shooting is devastating for those who loved them.
And like ripples in a pond, the impacts in our community range from schools and workplaces to family-owned restaurants like Eddie's Diner in Plano. Cindy and Kyu Cho and their two boys were "weekend regulars," says owner Lydia Miftari.
"They just really stood out because they were all about their boys," says Miftari. "I never saw them on their phones. They were in the moment... they adored their children. They adored each other. They were the sweetest family."
Miftari says the Cho family shared a meal there on Saturday, before later going to the Allen outlet mall. Cindy and Kyu were killed along with their three-year-old son, James. Six-year-old William has been hospitalized since the shooting and is said to be recovering.
"When you know someone and you have had interaction with them... you know their family and you know they're just trying to get through life like the rest of us, it's interesting how much different it hits you. And the weight of it and the sorrow of it... it's completely different from anything I've ever experienced."
The warmth in the family-owned Plano restaurant isn't just coming from the hot plates whisked from the kitchen. Miftari stands at the front, greeting customers like old friends. She says the Cho family stood out because they were always so pleasant – their little boys well-behaved and polite, always responding with 'please' and 'thank you,' especially when William was served his favorite: chocolate chip pancakes.
"Every time you put them down in front of William his smile would get this big," shares Miftari – her eyes bright and her hands stretched wide.
Then her eyes fill with tears when she thinks of what the 6-year-old survivor is facing. She says the sudden, senseless loss has hit her and her staffers hard. She got the news while she and her co-owner husband were celebrating their son's college graduation.
"I remember thinking that I just celebrated my son all weekend and this little boy still won't have his Mom and Dad at his graduation, or at a lot of other events in his life," she shares and then apologizes as she hurriedly wipes away the tears.
Miftari also shared her sorrow in a Facebook post, writing about the Cho's last visit on Saturday: "Never in a million years could we have imagined that when we sang 'happy birthday' to William for his 6th birthday, it would be the last time we would see such a beautiful family together."
In explaining why she shared, she says that she hopes that one day William will see that even strangers could see how very much he and his brother were loved.
"Unfortunately, we see these mass shootings and we think 'that's so far away. How sad for that family,'" explains Miftari. "And we think about them, and we cry for them and we pray for them. And the next big event happens, and we forget about them."
But Miftari is determined to never forget. And she encourages others to let the tragedy be a reminder to always be kind... because we simply never know what the next moment may bring.
"Oh, I feel... and I don't want to ever stop feeling."