SAHUARITA, Ariz. (KGUN) — On December 31st, Tomas Ayala would have turned 22 years old. He is remembered by his family and friends as a talented, aspiring chef with a kind heart and a love for Eegee's and Whataburger.
That talent and kind heart was taken from his family in May of 2023.
Instead of watching fireworks at midnight on New Year's Eve, Tomas's father, Gabriel Ayala, is buying a shake and fries from Whataburger to place on his son's memorial... keeping a birthday tradition the two used to share.
“There's nothing happy about this day. His life was stolen. It hurts every day,” Gabriel Ayala said.
In 2023, Arizona Department of Transportation reported 5,761alcohol-related crashes that killed more than 330 Arizonans, including Tomas Ayala.
During the Christmas and New Year's holidays, the U.S. Department of Transportation says they see a rise in drunk drivers, something a group of enforcement agencies in Arizona are looking to crack down on, especially during the holiday season.
They're trained to recognize signs of impaired driving to prevent crashes before they occur, so no more families will have to go through what the Ayalas have.
“When when you get drunk and take drugs and put other people's lives in your hand, this is what's left," Ayala said, gesturing to the blue dragonfly-shaped memorial beside him. "This. This is the remnant of their drunk driving.”
A year and seven months later, Gabriel visits Tomas's memorial on the side of Old Nogales Highway everyday. He says he sits with him, talks to him and keeps the area clean for his son, who will forever be 20 years old.
Tomas's memorial, shaped like a blue dragonfly is decorated with personal and ceremonial objects. Gabriel says people often wave or honk when they see him sitting by the memorial in his folding chair, and sometimes when he shows up, he finds items placed there by other members of the community.
"I tell people he fought with his love," said Gabriel Ayala."That's really what he fought with. He wasn't an argumentative person. He didn't have hatred and again it was him that would always say 'everybody love everybody.'"
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Alex Dowd is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9, where her work combines her two favorite hobbies: talking to new people and learning about the community around her. Her goal is to eventually meet every single person in Tucson. Share your story ideas with Alex via email, alex.dowd@kgun9.com, or connecting on Instagram or X.
