Tulare County DA Tim Ward vows not forget victims as 23rd annual memorial quit revealed
"Survivorship" was the message for bereaved loved ones who attended Tulare County District Attorney's Office 23rd annual memorial quilt unveiling ceremony.
In Tulare County, the district attorney's office has observed National Crime Victims’ Rights Week with the unveiling of a memorial quilt depicting local residents killed by violent crimes. On Monday, friends and family were invited to attend the ceremony to offer support to one another and to remember those who died.
"This room is complied of survivors journeying down the same path, but you're all at different points along that path," District Attorney Tim Ward said. "Some are here for the first time and your loss is fresh … others have been here year after year."
Two families who spoke during the ceremony shared their journey with others in the room. Their loved ones are on the 2020 quilt: Porterville fire Capt. Ramon Figueroa and firefighter Patrick Jones.
"Your participation and your dedication, far more than any words I could ever speak, communicate more eloquently that no victim will ever be forgotten," Ward said. "No family is or should ever feel alone in their sorrow, their pain and their grief."
Figueroa and Jones were the first to arrive at the Porterville Public Library following a three-alarm structure fire. A mayday call was broadcast shortly after the men entered the building, which was quickly engulfed in flames.
Figueroa, 35, died the night of the devastating fire. He started with the department in 2007. The body of Jones, 25, was found in the rubble the following night. He’d been with the department since 2017.
"Grief is not a moment that will pass. Grief is a life long journey, and at times it may feel like a dark and lonely one," said Rosanna Figueroa Natividad, Ramon's sister. "However, you are not alone. There is a community here to support you, and who understand the struggle and pain that comes with the loss of your family member."
Lucia Hernandez spoke on behalf of her two children, who she co-parented with Ramon.
"As their mother, I feel it all. I feel the tightness in their chests when they wish for only one thing," Hernandez said. "I feel the numbness in their arms when all they want is a warm hug from their dad. I feel the emptiness in their hearts when they just want their dad to tuck them in at night and read a bedtime story."
John Jones, Patrick's father, said memorializing his son has helped the mourning process.
His son's name is posted along a portion of Highway 65, a memorial was placed in Porterville for the fallen firefighters and his son's high school baseball jersey was hung in the outfield wall of El Diamante High School.
"All these honors do help with the healing," John said. " They do not ease your pain, but they certainly can mitigate it just a little."
This year's quilt represents 17 victims, who were killed between 2019 and 2022. Three children were placed on the 2023 quilt.
The following Tulare County victims were placed on the 2023 quit:
Caitlin McIntyre, 33
Cameron Morey, 24
Damean Fish, 27
Rudolph Duran Pina, 26
Joseph Gordon Drew Frazier, 79
Curtis Duffy, 60
Becky Martinez, 44
Francine Hannah Salazar, 10
Ivan Ortiz, 19
Jonathan Ramirez Tostado, 23
Jonathan Antonio Aparicio, 8
Kristy Rose Johnson, 37
Travis Chaney, 39
Isabel Villagomez, 51
Hailey Miramontes, 17
Steffan Kyle Coulson, 36
Samantha Quintanar, 31
"These daughters, these sons, these mothers, these fathers, these brothers and sisters assembled on this quilts will never be drowned out by society's noise; never lost and never ignore and certainly... never forgotten," Ward said.
Quilts from previous years were on display Tuesday at the Visalia Convention Center.
Since 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week has brought attention to Americans impacted by crime and the people who advocate on behalf of their loved ones.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare County DA reveals memorial quit. vowing not to forget victims
