She wouldve made a positive change in the world, her mother, Kimberly, said, if only she had been given the chance to grow up. Among the mourners at Ameries visitation were some of Maites relatives. It is just sad for all the children, she said. Find an Obituary. Pallbearers carry the casket of 10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza during her funeral service at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on May 31, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. To me, I believe everyone there was doing the best that they could given the circumstances, he told TODAY. UVALDE, Texas . The repeated funerals have traveled the short stretch of road sometimes for as long as 20 minutes, oftentimes twice in one day in solemn affairs interrupted only by the crowing of the roosters that freely roam the neighborhood. Jimmy Lucas, president of the Texas Funeral Directors Assn., brought a hearse and volunteered to work as a driver, pitch in for services, or do whatever he could, he told NBC News. Her family had been preparing a big birthday bash at her grandmothers house this coming weekend. At the same time, Ramos troubled, splintered family also squabbled over his remains, Diaz said. Honan, the funeral director who was tasked with preparing many of the Sandy Hook victims for burial, said the Uvalde shooting is affecting him its a reminder of what occurred 10 years ago, a tragedy he and many others never thought would occur again. From the first, each procession has passed a sign in the front yard of Ofelia Martinezs sandy brick home bearing the names of all of the victims. It affected him so much, she said. This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, Best coffee city in the world? Authorities have said the gunman, Salvador Ramos, legally purchased two guns not long before the school attack: an AR-15-style rifle on May 17 and a second rifle on May 20. With more funerals and visitations scheduled Wednesday for victims of the deadliest US school shooting in nearly 10 years, more changes in authorities' narrative of how the May 24 massacre unfolded. President Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited Uvalde on Sunday, stopping at a makeshift memorial in front of the school filled with flowers and photos of the 21 victims. The crosses are a few feet tall, the paper said. Most arrangements take a good 30 to 45 minutes apiece to make, Kelly Baker said. Uvalde funeral homes refused to handle services for Robb Elementary Their morning burials would be followed by the funeral for Jackie Cazares, whose loved ones filled the time before her burial with a visit to the memorial at the elementary school, crying quietly in front of the large cutouts of photos of the children displayed under white wooden arches lined in plastic white roses. We made sure that they had the best talent possible to take care of these families so that their final farewell could be as good as it could possibly be, he said. A man delivers a wreath at Rushing-Estes-Knowles Mortuary prior to the funeral of 10-year-old Eliahna Torres on June 2, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. At the end of the week, shell also cook for the funeral home employees to offer them a reprieve at the end of their grueling work for the Robb families. When he first saw the news reports of the Uvalde shooting, MacDonald said he instantly remembered the Sandy Hook assault and the days that followed clearly. It is just sad for all the children., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. (Torres family) Eliahana Torres June 1: Visitation from 2-9 pm. Police have come under heavy criticism for taking well over an hour to kill Ramos inside the adjoining classrooms where he unleashed carnage. The little girl who loved to draw had just received a cellphone for her 10th birthday. He had just turned 18, permitting him to buy the weapons under federal law. You could just see the next plot in the line of burials, all out in the same cemetery being a small community.. One family gathered around a grave with drinks in hand and young children playing on blankets laid out nearby. Some might turn inward, closing themselves off from a world that no longer includes their child. Soon after, Irma and Jose were married in Uvalde on June 28, 1997., Irma and Joe Garcia were high school sweethearts. The hearse carrying Layla Salazars casket arrived at Sacred Heart Catholic Church for her funeral mass on Thursday. Amerie had been given a cellphone for her birthday. 'Caring and giving': funeral for Uvalde victim held amid gun law Uvalde student Eliahna Garcia would have turned 10 over the - CNN 11 Funerals to Take Place at Uvalde's Catholic Church in Coming Weeks On one evening, the small white feathers on a pair of cutout wings perched over the gravesite of Eliahna Torres fluttered in the wind as grave diggers nearby prepared twin ditches for cousins Jayce Luevanos and Jailah Silguero to be buried side by side the following day. Of the 19 children who died at Robb, she knew 17 of their families. Hillcrest Funeral Home in Uvalde will be hosting visiting hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 31 and June 1 for Nevaeh Alyssa Bravo. Eliahna "Ellie" Garcia would have turned 10 over the weekend, but instead of getting ready to sing her "Happy Birthday," her family was preparing for her funeral. Six pallbearers wearing white shirts and gloves carried a small casket. When you see it on TV its one thing, he said. Uvalde funeral services, GoFundMe pages: how to support the families On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of mourners turned out for the funeral Mass for Amerie Jo Garza, a smiling fourth-grader who was killed a week . Mail Online Videos: Top News & Viral Videos, Clips & Footage | Daily The Uvalde mayor, Don McLaughlin, said the ceremony would no longer take place. "Because you were there with them," he said. On the day of the shooting, after the gunman wrecked his truck, two men at the funeral home ran towards the scene. You couldnt go out and buy a lot of weapons.. The funeral Mass is scheduled for June 2 at 2pm, with burial at . This story has been shared 110,170 times. Her mother also recounted their frantic search after the shooting, how she ran barefoot across town from the local hospital to the school in her desperation to find Lexi. Martinezs sign will stand in the shadow of a row of boarded-up windows, shuttering away the classrooms through which tragedy arrived. All rights reserved), (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. She was firm, direct, voice unwavering. The shirts were green: Maites favourite colour. Pallbearers carry the casket of Amerie Jo Garza at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Uvalde, Texas, on May 31, 2022. Everyone here knows someone who was killed, church priest Eduardo Morales told the Washington Post. They face out in four directions from the pool and fountain in [the] town square. I think things have gotten so bad that everybodys getting more rational, at least thats my hope, Biden told reporters before honoring the nations fallen in Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery. The two 10-year-old fourth graders were among 19 children and two teachers killed when. Authorities have said the gunman legally purchased two guns not long before the school attack: an AR-style rifle on May 17 and a second rifle on May 20. The U.S. Department of Justice announced Sunday a review of the law enforcement response. Her smile would light up a room MaKenna loved to write notes to her family and leave them in hidden places to be found later. "You did what you would have done with your own children. We are making thousands., Suppliers had given flowers free of charge, Baker said, adding: Were very lucky that we have not wanted for a colour or a style of flower., Veronica Berger, a florist from LaCoste, an hour away, said: Florists are the only ones who know how to get through this. Funeral directors, embalmers and others from across Texas offered help. Even knowing its going to impact your own life in a way youll never forget.. But be assured, we will not relent until Uvalde recovers.. It's a task that funeral directors have learned how to do well. Visitations for one of the teachers, 48-year-old Irma Garcia, and for two more children, Nevaeh Bravo and Jose Flores Jr, were also held on Tuesday. Mourners gather as funerals begin for Uvalde school killings Not necessarily going to the funerals because were still taking care of things hour by hour, day by day, here, Salazar said. They keep happening again and again, and its awful.. Theres going to be a lot of tears and a lot of sadness but as we continue to celebrate their lives, they will turn into tears of joy.. Esquivel also said classmates said Maite was brave during the shooting. Once they got to him, the funeral homes in town said, We dont want to deal with him, said Diaz, a justice of the peace also overwhelmed dealing with the deaths of immigrants in a human-smuggling horror in June. A baseball was perched on its left branch. Amerie's funeral was the first since the massacre, with Maite Rodriguez's scheduled for later Tuesday at a Uvalde funeral home. The funerals will stretch into next week, the last scheduled for 16 June. Mourners gather as funerals begin for Uvalde school killings She was determined. There is one Catholic church in Uvalde. "The less of a burden there is for them, the more it allows them to really be one-on-one with each one of these families. Yes, flower arrangements are fulfilled and delivered by local florists from Uvalde. But as we continue to celebrate their lives, they will turn into tears of joy..