It has been roughly one year since one of the darkest days the U.S. faced in 2019 - On August 3, 2019, a gunman opened fire at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, killing twenty-three innocent people and wounding dozens more. Since that day, the community has found a shared purpose, continuing to rally to provide resources and support for the families who lost a loved one on that day.
Perches Funeral Homes, a family-owned and operated funeral home that has served both the United States and Mexico since 1958, was one local company that has displayed such commitment. Within hours following the shooting, Salvador Perches, owner of Perches Funeral Home, announced that they would be providing free funeral services to the families who experienced such senseless loss. At the time, he reported "This is one of the most tragic events in El Paso's history. My heart and prayers go out to the families who lost a loved one, as well as to the survivors and to our entire community who is mourning at this time... We must unite as a community to help those directly impacted by this tragedy." To ensure families were supported where they needed it most, Perches offered services in both the United States and Mexico.
The funeral home has honored its promise to help those who were impacted by the shooting, and most recently, they have also announced their partnership with Eterneva, a grief wellness company, to provide the widow of the last victim of the shooting, Guillermo "Memo" Garcia, with a memorial gift to commemorate the life of her husband.
Perches spoke about the gift, saying that "this tragedy has created a deep loss in our community. These people deserve to be remembered for who they were, not for the event that took them from us. For their families, this tragedy isn't over. It is something they live with, and it is important for us all to continue to say their names, tell their stories, and support their families in the years to come. We cannot imagine a better partner in helping us do that than Eterneva and the remarkable journey they've created for those grieving their loved ones."
Garcia was with his family on the day of the shooting. He was fundraising for the EP Fusion girls' soccer team, of which he was the coach. He was struck by the gunman and immediately taken to Del Sol Medical Center, where he was hospitalized for nearly nine months. In a devastating end to the battle for his life, Garcia passed away in May of 2020. According to his family, those last "eight-and-a-half months were harsh, to say the least, and yet he still blessed [them] with jokes, smiles, songs and laughter." Garcia's family remembers him reverently: "He held on as he could to bless us just a little more, and he did it out of pure love. When I thought of a warrior, I would imagine a man on a horse with a sword, but my warrior was a 6-foot 3-inch gentle giant with a heart of gold, whose [sic] hugs were warming to everyone."
Garcia was the twenty-third victim fatally shot that day. Memorials for the other victims have been held throughout the year. The victims include Jordan Anchondo, 24, and Andre Anchondo, 23; Arturo Benavides, 60; Angie Englisbee, 86; Leonard Cipeda Campos, 41; Maribel Hernandez, 56; Raul Flores, 77, and Maria Flores, 77; Jorge Calvillo Garcia, 61; Adolfo Cerros Hernandez, 68; Sara Esther Regalado, 66; Alexander Gerhard Hoffman, 66; David Alvah Johnson, 63; Luis Alfonzo Juarez, 90; María Eugenia Legarreta Rothe, 58; Ivan Hilierto Manzano, 46; Elsa Mendoza Marquez, 57; Gloria Irma Marquez, 61; Margie Reckard, 63; Javier Rodriguez, 15; Teresa Sánchez de Freitas, 82; and Juan Velázquez, 77. While each victim left us too soon, each also had a loving family. Their stories, their impacts on the world, and the love they shared live on in El Paso and the communities they were a part of.
Garcia's wife, Jessica, was also shot on the day of the shooting, but she recovered quickly and was released from the hospital shortly after. In her husband's obituary, she spoke about her love for and life with Garcia: "He blessed me with 16 years of memories and two precious gifts, Karina and Memo, who will always keep him alive... During these years together, we had many ups and downs, but we always came out stronger, and I believe that these struggles prepared us for these last few months. These past few months, we did it together. I pushed and he fought. With the help of his troops, he won many battles, but in the end, we lost the war. I told my kids that we did not lose him; we just gained an angel, and now we need to make him proud like he has always made us proud. We are TANK-TOUGH. This is not a goodbye mi amor, te amo."
Jessica will receive a unique gift from Eterneva - a personalized grief journey that will culminate in the creation of a new memorial diamond to honor her husband's remarkable life.
Eterneva, located in Austin, Texas, specializes in creating diamonds out of the ashes of lost ones. In 2015, Adelle Archer, co-founder, and CEO of Eterneva, lost her friend and mentor to pancreatic cancer. In her search for a better way to honor her mentor's memory, Archer developed the idea of turning the ashes into a diamond - A process that would ensure that her legacy lived on. With this idea, Archer partnered with Garret Ozar, and together they founded Eterneva in 2016.
The company has welcomed Garcia's family to be a part of the unique process, which takes roughly seven to nine months. During those months, the carbon from the ashes will be isolated from all other elements, creating a carbon graphite powder - the starter material for a lab diamond. Then, using a state-of-the-art machine that replicates the growing conditions under the earth (2,500 degrees Fahrenheit and 850,000 pounds of pressure per square inch), the carbon crystallizes and grows into a real diamond. Following that, the diamond will be quality assessed, cut, and customized according to the desires of Garcia's family. An important part of the process' value is to be a part of watching the transformation unfold; the family will be engaged in the creation of the diamond via photographs, videos, and updates of the diamond during the various stages of its creation. Once complete, the diamond will be presented to Garcia's entire family.
Archer, in writing about Eterneva's contribution to the memorial efforts, said, "As Texans, we were absolutely horrified to learn about the tragic event that took place in El Paso last summer. We are honored to be a part of Jessica and her family's journey toward healing, even if our memorial diamond can only provide a small source of comfort in their tremendous loss." She continued, "As a grief wellness organization, we know that a grief journey is not over after a funeral, and we know how important it is to keep someone's story and legacy alive after they pass."
