Sheriff identifies 7 dead in Memorial Day weekend storms in North Texas

Authorities released the names of seven people killed in storms in North Texas over the Memorial Day weekend.

Severe storms swept through several states on Saturday night, leaving at least 22 people dead. Among the fatalities are seven from Cooke County, Texas, where a tornado struck Valley View, a town of fewer than 800 people north of Denton.

Those who died were Victor Manuel Ortiz, 72; Loyd Wayne Watson, 57; Laura Patricia Garcia Esparza, 49; Miranda Esparza, 15; Marco Andres Esparza, 9; Tyrique Taishun McCrary, 5; and Essence Eunique McCrary, 2.

Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington confirmed the names Tuesday. All of the deaths occurred at RFR Estates, a mobile home park south of Valley View near Interstate 35, the sheriff said.

Many neighbors who The Dallas Morning News In the days following the storms, people mourned the dead, often still picking up the rubble of their destroyed – in some cases flattened – homes. Some said they were grateful to be alive despite having lost everything. Others had to cope with the loss of their friends.

Some family members of the victims have set up GoFundMe pages to raise money for storm-related expenses, including funeral costs. Sappington said he was grateful that some fundraisers reached $10,000 or more by Tuesday.

“It’s good to see,” the sheriff said in an interview.

The victims

The Ortiz home was in the path of the tornado and was destroyed. Victor Ortiz, the eldest of those killed, was hospitalized and underwent surgery after the storm but died of his injuries Sunday morning, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up by his daughter-in-law.

She described him as a “great, loving” husband, father and grandfather.

“This sudden news is unexpected. We are all devastated at the loss of such a great family member, we are still processing the effects of this tornado and now mourning the loss of our loved one,” Ortiz said in the post.

Watson lived on County Road 2133. A neighbor told KXAS-TV (NBC5) that his house had been razed. Watson’s Two sons, who were reportedly seeking shelter with their father at the time of the storm, were hospitalized.

“These were friends of ours, so I mean, it’s hard, all of this is hard,” neighbor Jesse Helms told the station.

The youngest of those killed were Tyrique and Essence McCrary. Their older sister was hospitalized, according to a report by WFAA-TV (Channel 8).

The Esparza family lived on Green Meadows Drive.

As children, Josue Luna and his sister Alondra spent many afternoons at the Esparzas’ house waiting for their parents to return from work. After school, the bus dropped the children off at the beginning of a dead-end street so Luna and his sister could drive to the Esparzas’.

The brother-sister duo described Laura Patricia Garcia Esparza as “the kindest soul” and said she cared for them as if they were her own children. They spoke fondly of playing outside with Miranda and her surviving older brother and how they have watched the family’s youngest son, Marco, grow up in recent years.

“We grew up with them,” said Luna, 20. “Whenever there were situations in the neighborhood where help was needed, they were always ready to help. They were always the first to do something.”

The Luna family’s home suffered less damage than most on the street on Monday. Only a few windows were broken, the roof of the shed had come off and the solar panels in the backyard were nearly leveled. Their Great Pyrenees, Dak, who was outside when the storms hit, was inexplicably found unharmed when the winds died down.

“I think we’ve all learned that we need to keep our families closer together,” Luna said. “You just never know when you’re going to see them for the last time.”

A GoFundMe campaign set up for the Esparza family had raised more than $71,000 as of Tuesday evening.