WEST JORDAN — Twelve-year-old Manuel Garcia knows one day he'll be reunited with the family that was taken away from him in an instant.
"I know they're up there with God," the elder son of a family that died in a car accident July 18 said through tears. "I know that we will all see each other again."
As a crowd of almost 80 people arrived to pay their respects to the Ramirez and Martinez family at the Redwood Memorial Mortuary on Saturday, the first sound they heard was the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There," echoing the boy's words that his family, always together, is waiting for him. As they walked into a room of black clothing and open caskets, the happy tune gave way to tears.
Ricardo Ramirez, 29, his wife, Veronica Martinez, 35, and their three daughters, Mercedes Candelario, 15, Veronica Ramirez, 6, and Isabel Ramirez, 5, as well as family friend Megan Foote, 15, all of Salt Lake County, were killed at an intersection on the 2100 South highway near Kennecott on July 18.
"It was an accident," said Kathy Villigrana, Mercedes' aunt.
The only survivor of the crash was youngest son Ricardo "Little Ricky" Ramirez, 4.
Family and friends who spoke at the service assured that God's timing is beyond their understanding. But what they do know is that God took them as they always were — a tight-knit family, said Pastor Dorothy Jaramillo, Veronica Martinez's aunt, who presided over the funeral.
Isabel Ramirez did nothing but brighten her family's life. Veronica Martinez always had a smile for them. It was a consensus: They were undeniably happy inside.
But not all their days were bliss, at least not before they had each other. Ricardo Ramirez and Veronica Martinez had a hard life before they met and started a family. Ramirez and his brother David Monge, who knew the poorer side of life, used to sleep in an old car with their mother. Martinez's previous husband had tried to kill her.
The extended family and friends had also had their differences. Monge said he thought his brother was an annoyance. Instead of visiting his brother for Thanksgiving last year, Monge went gambling in Wendover.
"But it doesn't matter what side said what," Villigrana said. "Our God is a God of second chances."
The family prayed for the Lord to help them put their differences aside and unify them amidst this tragedy so they can support one another.
The family could only afford to bury Mercedes on Saturday. The cemetery is holding the parents and the two youngest daughters' bodies until the family can raise enough money. To reduce some of the costs, Ricardo Ramirez and his wife will be buried in the same casket, as will daughters Veronica and Isabel.
But the matter of their earthly bodies is moot compared with their eternal life in heaven, as far as Manuel is concerned. He and his younger brother will watch out for each other until the day they can be with their family — and comedian Bernie Mac, who's making them laugh — in heaven, Manuel said.
Family members set up a fund for the family, including trust funds for the surviving sons. Donations can be made to the Ricardo Ramirez fund at any Zions Bank.
Foote was buried Thursday in a separate funeral.
e-mail: mmcfall@desnews.com