Funeral services for husband and wife, Jose and Marilis Barrera of Waukegan, and David Martinez of Beach Park, who were killed in a two-car accident last weekend, will be held Friday and Saturday.
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The Barreras were heading home from celebrating Marilis’ 23rd birthday Saturday at the time of the accident.
Jose’s great aunt, Cristina Hayes, said the family has started a GoFundMe page to help the parents with funeral expenses..
“I know no amount of words can help comfort their parents’ pain in this difficult time but I hope that by coming together, WE can alleviate the financial burden. Thank you helping my family on their worst day of their life,” Hayes says on the page.
“Tony and Mary met in high school, but they started to date after they both graduated. They have been together for three years married for two,” she said in an email. Both were born in Waukegan and went to Waukegan High School before Tony joined the Navy out of high school, she said.
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He was looking forward to leaving the Navy and taking a welding class. The couple had a home near Waukegan National Airport, not far from the crash site.
“He wanted to start a family and he didn’t want his wife to be a single parent (if he stayed in the service). They had so many plans for the future,” Hayes wrote.
“They might have been young but they’d accomplish so much in life already. We will miss their kind and gentle manner,” Hayes wrote. She said his wife worked with her mother at LTD.
“They touched so many lives in their short life it’s clear to see,” Hayes wrote.
Funeral services for the couple will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Most Blessed Trinity Parish, 450 Keller Ave., Waukegan. Burial follows at Ascension Cemetery in Libertyville.
According to police Jose was driving and the couple’s vehicle crossed the center line for unknown reasons at around 4:45 a.m. near Green Bay and Blanchard Roads and struck another vehicle head-on that was driven by Martinez, 71.
According to Martinez’ obituary, he was born in Honduras and was a primary school teacher there until coming to the United States in 1977, originally settling in New York. He moved to the Chicago area in 1998, and acquired an extensive spiritual family from his congregation at Renewal Church.
He had three sons: David Jr., Winston and Daysi. A wake will be held Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Salata Funeral Home, 4190 Old Grand Ave., Gurnee, and a religious service will follow. On Saturday, there will be another service at 10 a.m. at the Salata Funeral Home followed by the burial at the Millburn Cemetery in Wadsworth.