The lives of a former Raider and his sister were tragically taken away leaving a 14 month baby without a mother last Dec. 9. Seventeen-year-old Berenice, mother of the baby, and 16-year-old Christian Rodriguez were driving to school, Garland High, at approximately 9 a.m. with Berenice’s baby in the backseat. According to Officer Shane Varner, Berenice attempted to turn southbound on Hwy 78, while small pickup truck travelling northbound collided with her car, killing her on the spot

“I didn’t really know her, but from what I heard, she was a very good mother. She will be missed by all her friends and family,” Junior Emmanuel Bretado said.

Christian was rushed to the hospital but died before he even got there.

“He was one of my best friends.  I was so sad when I found out what had happened, and started crying. I couldn’t believe it was him, I wanted it to be a different Christian,” Junior Ciera Tomlinson said. “I kept thinking how 10 minutes before the accident, I had passed by the exact same spot. If they had waited a little longer, even one minute, it wouldn’t have happened.”

Berenice’s baby, Diego, was left unharmed but was still taken to Children’s Hospital to check for possible injuries. Condition of the other driver is unknown.  Freshman Omar Rodriguez is the brother of Berenice and Christian, making him Diego’s uncle.

“I’m going to take care of baby Diego,” Freshmen Omar Rodriguez said, “ and my mom and two sisters are going to help me.”

The viewing was Tuesday in Garland Pilar Funeral Home; the 5,000 square foot facility was filled. The line of teenagers, adults and children to pay their respect to Berenice and Christian travelled outside the building.  Friends of the deceased who had donated money for the funeral costs wore white shirts with pictures of them.

Inside the building, a mariachi played. Not the cheerful celebration music that a mariachi is most recognized by, but lamenting songs about losses. 

“The mariachi made everything sadder. Their music was like a representation of all the despair and disbelief we all felt in that room,” junior Ana Meraz said. “The silence would have been worse; so it was good that they were there.”

Berenice and Christian’s bodies rested in white coffins; next to them were their last school pictures including Berenice’s senior portrait taken just over the summer.  A video was played honoring the happy lives that the two teens had lived together; causing a fresh set of tears for everyone as they saw pictures they had taken together.

“The slide show with their pictures was so sad. The background music was the type of music they had liked; they also played those songs at the burial,” Sophomore Amparo Ochoa said. “I was crying so much when they got buried.”

Their final resting place is Garland Memorial Park. The burial took place at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14.

Rodriguez would like to say thank you to everyone who donated to help with the costs of the funeral. He would also like to thank all the people who are supporting him and his family during this difficult time of their lives.