Somerton students to bid farewell to classmate

Wake today, funeral Friday for Jonathan Briceño-Hererra

Students at Somerton’s Valle del Encanto Learning Center will say a final farewell today to classmate Jonathan Briceño-Herrera.

The six-year-old died March 12 at Phoenix Children’s Hospital after an illness. His older brother was also hospitalized with similar symptoms, but recovered, according to updates on the crowd-sourcing fundraising website GoFundMe.

“Jonathan was a remarkable student who captivated those around him with his bountiful energy, his radiant smile, and the way he bravely overcame obstacles in his way,” said Angelica Cardenas on behalf of Valle del Encanto Principal Luciano Munoz in a post on the website that helped raise funds for the family for funeral and other expenses. “He loved to color, he loved to play tag with the other children at recess, he loved to sing, and he loved to do all of the things that a young child deserves the opportunity to do.”

Jonathan was born July 18, 2010, in Chapel Hill, N.C., and was a first-grader at the school, according to his funeral notice, which ran in the Yuma Sun on March 19.

“It has been said that a person’s true character comes out under pressure or when faced with a serious situation; well, that was us this week at ELC,” Munoz said in a letter to parents posted March 19 on the school’s website.

Munoz wrote that after learning of Jonathan’s passing, “things were not the same” at the school.

“Jonathan’s sudden passing has left our school with heavy hearts for his family,” Cardenas wrote on the principal’s behalf, who was in close contact with the family during Jonathan’s illness.

A wake is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. today (March 23) at Desert Valley Mortuary. A Requiem Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Immaculate Conception Church in Yuma, with burial following at Desert Lawn Memorial Park.

Though the fundraiser had reached its goal Tuesday, Munoz said donations would still be accepted.

“We showed that as a community, we are strong, caring, loving, sympathetic, and willing to go the extra mile to help anyone in need. We know how to laugh, and we know how to cry. We know the feeling of flying high, and we know the feeling of sorrow,” Munoz said in his letter to parents. “Through it all, we know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for being an awesome community member.”

ELC will be having its first ever “Walkathon” in memory of Jonathan on March 29, Munoz wrote. “We will be donating all of the funds to help the Briceño family cover some of their unexpected expenses. Jonathan’s favorite color was red, so on that day, we will be wearing red in his memory.”

He encouraged preschool to fifth-grade students to try to collect $5 per sponsor. The food service department will be donating ice cream for all of the students that participate, he said.

The event will be held between 8:45 a.m. and 10:30.