A Guadalupe community has rallied around the relatives of an Arizona family of four killed in a head-on crash by holding a frybread fundraiser to help with funeral and memorial costs.
Anita Soto, whose homemade frybread business has supported local children’s sports, music and community projects, prepared the sale in memory of Kiah Jae Begaye, 26, Giovanni Uballe Huerta, 26, and their two young sons.
The family died on September 7 when their vehicle was involved in a collision with a pickup truck on State Route 260, near Heber-Overgaard in Navajo County. The crash happened at about 12.30pm near mile marker 300, according to authorities.
Their sons, aged four and two, were also killed. Two people in the pickup truck were taken to hospitals in the Phoenix area with serious injuries.
Police arrested Jesse David Lovato, 21, of Los Lunas, New Mexico, and booked him on four counts of manslaughter and two counts of aggravated assault. Court documents say he told investigators he had fallen asleep while driving and woke when the vehicles collided.
A Navajo County Superior Court judge set bail at $5 million. The crash remains under investigation.
For the fundraiser, Soto and her family made 75lb of dough using the same recipe passed down by her mother. “It is a labor of love,” Soto said.
She said proceeds from previous sales had helped children attend Little League, football, baseball, music and choir camps, as well as supporting overseas mission trips.
“We use the same recipe my mom used and we don’t change anything. We still make it by hand,” Soto said.
Maria Hernandez, Soto’s sister, said the preparation involved considerable time and care. “A lot of love goes into that, a lot of time,” she said.
The sale drew donations of ingredients and supplies from people who had never met the bereaved family but wanted to help.
Soto dedicated the event to the Huerta and Begaye families, saying: “We pray to the Lord for the Huertas and for her family.”
Hernandez said the gathering offered more than financial assistance to relatives facing the cost of four burials.
“They’re not just going to take away the funds from this, they’re going to take away the sense of community, that people showed up for them,” she said.
