Family seeks help, comfort after 17-year-old loved one killed in crash

SAN ANTONIO – The family of a 17-year old South San High School student killed in a weekend crash is asking the community for comfort and help.

Kayla Villanueva was the passenger in a stalled vehicle that was rear-ended by another before 8 p.m. Sunday along I-37 near Dunop Road. Four other people were injured.

Margie Villanueva described her granddaughter as always smiling and glowing with life. 

“She was just a lovely girl, beginning her life and didn’t get to finish school,” Margie Villanueva said.

The grandmother said she’s trying to understand why her family is going through this loss, while also trying to comfort her son, Kayla’s father, who has been grief-stricken before.

“It's his second daughter. He had a baby seven years ago. The baby was newborn and she passed at three weeks,” Margie Villanueva said.

Their grief touched the heart of Pastor Jimmy Robles, with Last Chance Ministries. His daughter, Victoria Robles, was killed in 2016 in a vehicle crash.

“It’s what I call a pain you can't explain,” he said. “It's a phone call that no parent wants to receive.”

Friends have helped put together a funeral fundraiser. A benefit plate sale will be held from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Dragons Sports Bar on 1353 Bandera Road. From 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, the plate sale will be at 4500 South Zarzamora Street next to AutoZone.