He was only 19, but Abraham Fernandez Zuniga was mature beyond his years. He was already a father figure, and his 8-year-old nephew was never far from his side.
“They were like brothers,” family friend Fazur Estrada told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “They did everything together and they died together.”
Family members both in Cobb County and Honduras are now mourning the two.
After graduating from North Cobb High School in 2012, Abraham stayed busy working at a family business and caring for his sister’s children, including Jose “Felipe” Alvarado, whom he took to the doctor Monday afternoon.
The two never made it home. According to Cobb County police, Abraham was driving northbound on I-575 when for unknown reasons, he crossed the median and drove into the path of a truck. The truck’s driver was not seriously injured, but the teen and boy both died at the scene.
Investigators have not determined what may have caused the wreck. Estrada said Abraham frequently drove family members and can’t imagine what happened Monday afternoon. Family members plan to visit the truck driver, Earldean Clayton, 42, of Rex, Estrada said.
“They just want to make sure he’s OK,” Estrada said.
Family members are devestated by the deaths, but found some comfort learning about the lives the two touched.
“Felipe was a very cuddly boy, very loving and tender,” Estrada said. “Abraham was saving money to go to college.”
Abraham hoped to one day work in the medical field, Estrada said. The teen hadn’t yet decided what school he would attend.
Many in the Acworth community have expressed their sympathies to the family, including band members at North Cobb High School, where Abraham played clarinet, and Acworth Intermediate School, where Felipe was in the fourth grade.
A funeral will be held Thursday for both Abraham and Felipe at 4 p.m. at the family’s church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Acworth, Estrada said. Felipe will then be buried at Pineridge Memorial Park in Kennesaw. But the family hopes to send Abraham’s remains home to Honduras, where his mother still lives.
An online fundraiser was created for the family to assist with funeral costs and other expenses.
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