UVALDE, Texas — A week after the school shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers, this small town is preparing for the first of many funerals — a marathon of grief.
This week, services are planned for 11 children and teacher Irma Garcia. The first is for Amerie Jo Garza, 10, who will be buried Tuesday in a casket painted and shrink-wrapped with customized art of her favorite things, said designer Trey Ganem.
Amerie Jo's family described her in her obituary as an avid swimmer who aspired to become an art teacher, "a kind, caring, blunt, loving, sweet, sassy and of course funny little diva who 'hated dresses,'" loved Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccinos. Her family wrote that Amerie Jo was "a protector of her [3-year-old] brother and as we now know her classmates" — an allusion to reports that she and other children tried to call 911 as the shooter attacked their class at Robb Elementary School.
