A Texas artist donated 19 custom-painted caskets to the young victims of the school shooting in Uvalde last week.
Trey Ganem owns SoulShine Industries in Edna, Texas, a company that does custom caskets to honor the dead in a personal way. He offered to donate caskets to reflect the things each child loved during their lives.
“I’m on my way to help families in this tragic time,” the 50-year-old shared on Facebook Tuesday. “This is something no family should ever have to deal with. My love and emotions are already there.”
“I think there were 17 at the time that he knew of, and [he] wanted to know if I would be able to help out and make sure that all these kids have, you know, some personalization,” Ganem told BuzzFeed News.
Meet the TX man who’s making customized caskets for each of the 19 young victims and two teachers from the school shooting in #Uvalde. Trey Ganem visited with the families last week so each casket is personalized to include each child's interests.
📷: SoulShine Industries pic.twitter.com/eeoOZHcrfF
— John-Carlos Estrada (@Mr_JCE) May 31, 2022
Ganem told the publication that the manufacturer doesn’t usually keep that many small caskets in stock and had to work for 20 hours straight to get the orders out on time. After receiving the delivery, Ganem and his son Billy, plus around a dozen volunteers, worked around the clock to make the personalized caskets absolutely perfect.
The artist spoke with family members to come up with ideas for color and designs.
“We did one with a dinosaur holding a flashlight and a pickle. And when the families are telling us, we’re like, ‘Wait, did you just tell me of a flashlight, dinosaur and a pickle?’ and they giggle, but for whatever reason, it was very special to them,” Ganem told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.
Another fourth grader’s casket included llamas, the TikTok logo, and neon yellow slime, People reported.
“She would tell me that she needed glue for school because she had a big ole project to do, and the glue would be to make slime,” Eliahna Torres’ mother Sandra told the publication. “She drove us crazy with the TikTok.”
Ganem also said that his custom caskets typically cost between $3,400 and $3,800. He received some donations for the Uvalde victims caskets and donated the rest himself.
“I didn’t even think twice when I was asked to do it, and God always takes care of us,” he said.
Ganem also donated caskets to the victims of the 2017 mass shootings in Sutherland Springs and Las Vegas, according to BuzzFeed News.
Funeral masses at Sacred Heart Catholic Church began Tuesday. The local funeral home in Uvalde, Rushing-Estes-Knowles Mortuary, is reportedly booked with funerals through June 13, People reported.
Source: Dailywire
