A 6-year-old boy and his mother, who were killed after a DUI suspect smashed into a crowd outside a Christmas concert in Redondo Beach last month, were laid to rest Saturday.
Samuel Gaza and his parent Martha Gaza, 36, were among a dozen people hit when the motorist drove through a group of pedestrians crossing the road outside St. James Catholic Church on Dec. 17.
The funeral service was held at the same place of worship at 10 a.m. It was filled to capacity.
Grief-stricken family members said their final farewell.
“My sister was a hero,” said Martha Gaza’s brother, David Aguilar. “She was really just an amazing person.”
Samuel had just sang at the Christmas concert before the tragic incident occurred. Mary Wilson, 81, and Saeko Matsumura, 87, both of Torrance, were also killed in the crash, and had just watched their grandchildren perform in the same concert.
“When you look at Samuel, he was always so happy and always so full of life,” said pastor Michael Meyers.
Gaza’s husband, Glenn, remains in a wheel chair as he recovers from injuries he sustained in the crash.
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“As we struggled together as a community we've found that God has given us strength that we didn't know that we had,” Meyers said.
Margo Bronstein, 56, of Redondo Beach has been charged with four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and one count of driving under the influence of a drug causing injury, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
“(Martha) really looked out for us and we're going to miss her forever,” Aguilar said.
