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Like you, my heart has been with the victims, their parents, children and the people of Uvalde. My mind struggles with how such a horrendous act could have ever been conceived – and, honestly, I question how such a terrible mission was ever envisioned by a person with so little life experience.
The most difficult thoughts I have are about how the victims’ parents cope with the whole tragic timeline — from the simple routine of waking their children that morning to perhaps attending the awards program and celebrating each child’s achievements. I think about how they learned about this disaster, how long they awaited news of their child’s well-being.
In every traumatic event, whether it be a single fatality car accident or a mass-fatality disaster, the local medical examiner receives and examines the bodies of the victims. But in Uvalde, there is no medical examiner; it's too small. The Justice of the Peace on duty for that day serves as the de facto coroner, much the same as Hays County.
So, as the death toll climbed higher, Justice of the Peace Eulalio Diaz, Jr., called on the ME from Bexar County for assistance.
That day, Diaz had the grisly job of going to the scene at Robb Elementary School and identifying the bodies. One of the teachers killed had been a year behind Diaz at Uvalde High School. Her husband, who died of a heart attack after visiting his wife’s memorial, was a year ahead of the JP in high school. Diaz knew the parents and/or grandparents of many of the young victims he had to identify.
Once the ME’s autopsy examination and report of the cause of death was completed, the children’s bodies could be released to a local funeral home. In Uvalde, there are two firms — not enough to handle 21 funerals.
But there are scores of funeral directors across the state who regularly volunteer any time disaster strikes. Jamie Walker, a funeral director and embalmer from Humble, has worked in the aftermath of hurricanes, explosions and multi-fatality freeway accidents. As a member and past officer of the Texas Funeral Directors Association Disaster Team, Walker often helps fellow funeral directors when an overwhelming disaster occurs.
Adrian Fulton of Victoria, like Walker, is also a dual-licensed director. Fulton is also certified as an Emergency Medical Technician and has had exeprience working with law enforcement and foreign embassies on massfatality immigrant situations.
Both Walker and Fulton are experienced embalmers, and as trained professionals in this area, their goal is to prepare the deceased so the family will be able to view the body for a final goodbye.
In the case of a violent death, these embalmers often work hours to restore the appearance of the deceased. These individuals — and other members of TFDA’s Disaster Team — have responded to numerous disasters in Texas and elsewhere. Their “go bags,” which they usually carry in their vehicles, include clean clothing, personal necessities, Personal Protective Equipment and boots, a pillow and, depending on the weather, a sleeping bag and blankets. They pay out-of-pocket for their food, motel and other incidentals. Most carry body bags — they’ve learned this from experience — as well as chargers for cell phones. They serve as volunteers, at no cost to the firms, families or communities they serve.
Experienced last responders refrain from promoting the names of their firms during a disaster because their main calling is to help families affected by catastrophe… and because of their missions and their code of ethics, you’ll rarely, if ever, know which directors are volunteering after a disaster in Texas.
Just know this: Texas funeral directors work hard to fulfill the “service” part of their titles — Funeral Service Professionals — and wherever they can serve, whether in a funeral home, volunteering in their communities or responding to disasters where their help is needed, they will be there, assisting with funerals and providing families with the peace of knowing their loved one was cared for with compassion, dignity and respect.
