Layla Marie Salazar loved to sing, dance, swim and follow the Dallas Cowboys, her favorite football team.
And she could really run. She won six races during a field day at her school and took home blue first-place ribbons.
Now, she would sing and “run with the angels”, says her father, Vinnie Salazar.
Vinnie would “jam” with his daughter to the “Sweet Child O’ Mine” song by Guns N’ Roses as he he drove her to school, he said.
It was at that Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas that 11-year-old Layla’s life was cut short with 20 others during a mass shooting on May 24, 2022.
The “Sweet Child O’ Mine” song was the only thing that brought him peace since Layla’s passing, Vinnie wrote on Facebook.
Layla was probably singing the father-daughter rock anthem now with the angels, Vinnie postulated in his message but told her “not to fret because the song was ‘still ours’ “.
On her official obituary, Layla was described as “a smart witted and rambunctious child.”
“She was always cheerful and respectful of her elders and would be the first to greet and assist family guest and friends,” the obituary said. “Layla was a girl who loved many different activities with some of those being swimming and running track.”
When Layla wasn’t spending time swimming at the river with her parents or running track you could find her singing and dancing, the obituary said, adding that she also enjoyed making TikTok videos and adored Koala bears.
She loved tacos too. On the many days her grandfather and grandmother would pick her up from school, she would get treated with tacos; so she would ask them to pick her up as often as she could.
Despite her young age, she was both philosophical and practical, saying after her six-race win at her school’s field day that ”if you aren’t first, you’re last.”
* Tribute adapted from Layla Marie Salazar’s official obituary on rekfunerals.com
