Expectant father dies in hit-and-run
Co-workers recall ebullient man; police say driver remains at large
A man killed in a hit-and-run accident early Thursday morning was a talented craftsman, a new husband and an expectant father, said his coworkers at All New Home Improvement, a Santa Fe restoration and remodel company.
“He had a beautiful smile, every day, no matter how hard a day’s work,” co-owner Cara Feyas said of the man she and others identified as Jose Alejandro Duran Rodriguez, who usually went by “Alex.”
Santa Fe police have released few details about the Airport Road collision, in which the driver of one vehicle crashed into another car just after midnight and fled. A preliminary police report says one man died at the scene and a passenger was taken to the hospital, though it doesn’t identify either victim.
Acting Chief Andrew Padilla said Saturday that he couldn’t confirm Duran Rodriguez was the man killed, but he said at least one other vehicle may have been hit by the same driver. Officers had not made any arrests, he said, and the crash was still under investigation.
Meanwhile, Feyas said, coworkers, friends and family have been coping with the death of man who, she said, could make your whole day brighter just by walking in the room. She and All New co-owner Jody Feyas, her husband, said Duran Rodriguez also was one of the best colorists and faux-finish artists in Santa Fe. And he was like family.
“We’ve had lots of friends and family, but there’s never been anybody like that,” Jody Feyas said. “No one can think of life without him.”
Duran Rodriguez’s family members could not be reached for comment.
Staff at the home improvement store said Duran Rodriguez was driving home after practicing with his band when his car was hit near the Santa Fe Country Club, and that the injured passenger was his brother, a painter, who has two severely broken arms.
Julio Reyes, who worked with Duran Rodriguez at All New for about a decade, said he was born in Tarimoro, Guanajuato, Mexico, and had immigrated to the United States in his teens. He was a legal resident in the U.S. who had just recently applied for citizenship, Reyes said.
Duran Rodriguez got married in April, Reyes said. His wife is five months pregnant, and the pair had a doctor’s appointment scheduled this week to find out the gender of their baby, coworkers said.
He was so excited for that new child, Cara Feyas said.
“We’ve all seen a real happiness and pride,” she said. “He felt complete.”
Day in and day out, co-workers said, Duran Rodriguez made others feel appreciated.
“He was just the nicest guy,” said his supervisor, Daniel Ryan. “He’d give you the shirt off his back. He did not deserve to go the way he did.”
Jody Feyas said Duran Rodriguez would often sing in Spanish at work. Every day, Feyas said, he’d be sure to sing to a coworker, an older man who was suffering from health problems and struggling with issues at home.
“Alex made sure [that employee] felt better, because he knew that when he went home, it wasn’t always good,” Feyas said. “He needed a place to be safe and happy.”
Just being around Duran Rodriguez made people want to be their absolute best, both personally and professionally, Jody Feyas said. And clients loved him too. Over the past 15 or so years at All New, Feyas said, Duran Rodriguez carved out a name for himself as a top-notch “fixer.”
When a client accidentally broke a large, handpainted tile from Italy into more than a dozen pieces, Feyas said, Duran Rodriguez managed to put it back together, repaint and refinish it so authentically they couldn’t tell it had broken. “He was the best at what he did in Santa Fe.”
Duran Rodriguez, who was in his mid-30s, was the main provider for his family, Ryan said. He helped his parents pay off their house and would send money home to Mexico to help out however he could.
“He just went too soon, just way too soon,” Ryan said. “They take the good ones sooner than they take the bad ones, and it should be the other way around.”
Staff of All New Home Improvement are planning a service and a memorial for Rodriguez at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Guadalupe Street, with a memorial to follow.
They also plan to set up a GoFundMe account to help ease the financial hardship for Duran Rodriguez’s family.