A large stuffed Yoda, along with a Batman-themed football and several stuffed animals, greeted loved ones at Rojelio Fernandez Torres’ makeshift memorial at his town’s square.
Ten-year-old Rojelio was among 21 persons whose lives were cut short in a mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022.
On the cross with his name, one child had written,“ You were a good friend” with smiley faces for the two O’s in “good.” Others kept it simple. “Sup Rojelio,” another message read.
Family members and friends have made their profile pictures an illustration of Rojelio. He was remembered as a smart and loving son.
“I lost a piece of my heart,” his mother, Evadulia Orta, told ABC News.
Each morning as he boarded the school bus, he’d ask to sit in the back because that is where the “visiting” happens, his school bus driver told The Associated Press.
Rojelio loved being outside, and his hobbies included Pokemon and playing football and video games.
He was “like a bull,” funny and charismatic, she said. He loved hot Takis. He got up at 5:30 a.m. on those mornings to get ready for school, the Wall Street Journal reported.
An aunt told San Antonio’s KSAT-TV that Rojelio was intelligent and hardworking.
His family described him in the obituary on the funeral home’s website as outgoing and “always eager to help.”
“He always had a smile on his face.” “He was a loving person,” another aunt told The New York Times. “He loved his siblings.”
* All images reproduced from Rojelio Torres’ tribute video on rekfunerals.com
* Tribute adapted from Rojelio’s official obituary on rekfunerals.com
