As readers may know, Mr. Agustin Villegas, husband, father of four sons and an Anaheim resident, was killed on July 14 in a senseless freeway shooting on the 91 Freeway. 32-year old Mr. Villegas was a mobile car mechanic and at the time of he was shot, he was on his way home for dinner; his 15- and 13-year old sons were in the truck with him, along with his cousin. Mr. Villegas was a devoted father who didn’t smoke or drink to set a good example for his family; a Christian man who coached youth soccer and worked hard for his family. That such a fate befell a good, worthy man makes the killing all the more senseless.
I reached out to his niece, Daisy Soto, who said the memorial Mass for Mr. Villegas is tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. at St. Justin Martyr Church, 2050 W. Ball Road in Anaheim. The burial will take place afterward at Memory Garden Memorial Park, 455 W. Central Avenue, in Anaheim.
As I noted in a previous post, a funeral fund has been set up on Giveforward.com to help the Villegas family pay for Agustin’s funeral expenses. So far, $5,467 in donations have been received – 46% of the way toward the $12,000 goal.
Agustin Villegas was the sole support of his wife and four sons, who are ages 15, 13, 4 and 6 months old. Paying for the funeral is just the beginning. In addition to grieving their loss of a husband and father, Mrs. Villegas must also step into the role of provider, even as she consoles, comforts and loves her children. Bills must still be paid, groceries purchased, etc. Even as the media has moved on to other stories, I can only imagine how overwhelming this must continue to be for the Villegas’ and their friends and family.
Daisy Soto expressed her gratitude for all those who have been holding fundraisers for her uncle’s family, and said more are planned. If anyone reading this can find it in their heart to make a donation to help the Villegas family as they grieve their loss and find their footing, a donation to the funeral fund is a good start. I will keep you posted about other ways to help.
One aspect of this tragedy that has really struck home with me is that it could have happened to any one of us. Any one of us could have been driving home after a long day of work, looking forward to dinner with the family and every expectation of many more such days to come. Because of some coward, a very good man – and his family — senselessly had those days taken away.
If you can contribute to help the Villegas family, please do so. if you have other ideas about how you can help, feel free to e-mail and I will pass it along to his niece.
