“Luis Rey Herrera was quite likely the gentlest soul I have ever known,” recalls Tami Doig, former Head of School at Daystar Academy. Luis, a former Daystar student, passed away this Christmas, leaving the Daystar community both grieving his loss, and honoring his memory. Teachers and friends remember Luis’ caring, generous spirit–from his early days as an eager kindergartner, all the way through high school following the heartbreaking loss of his mother to cancer. He “never failed to greet all with kindness,” says Tami, “His memory is a blessing.”
Luis was all too familiar with grief and hardship in his young life. His mother, Martha, battled cancer for several years before she passed while Luis was in middle school. In the midst of such a loss, Luis found comfort in his Daystar family. “During her fight,” writes Glenda Hicks, Luis’s fifth-grade teacher, “we as a community truly adopted him. After she passed, I was touched by how many of his classmates attended her service.”
During this difficult time, Luis didn’t just receive comfort from the Daystar community, he shared it as well. Proud of his Mexican heritage, Luis started an annual empanada fiesta reflecting his mother’s own generosity. Luis often spoke about how much he missed his mother’s cooking, his favorite dish being empanadas. With the help of a parent volunteer, he learned to make them himself in the school’s Eatery. He would then push a cart through the halls, grinning ear-to-ear, and deliver empanadas to the teachers and staff.
He was deeply loving, and deeply loved. “The most tangible evidence of this,” says Tami, “came at his memorial service. The small chapel was overflowing with Daystar classmates, now college students who came from near and far, dressed in their finest, to honor the life of their dear friend.”
Luis’s legacy reminds us of the lasting impact of kindness and generosity. He helped strengthen our community with gestures both big and small—a friendly greeting, a homemade empanada, or a thoughtful gift from a family trip. We will never forget his enthusiasm, smile, gentle spirit, and kindness. As Tami writes, reflecting on how Luis helped shape Daystar during his years here: “We would all be honored to be remembered so well.”
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