CBP Gathers to honor life of fallen Officer Ruben Facio
Coronavirus claimed live of veteran officer - CBS 13's Luis Lopez reports
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Family, friends and fellow comrades gathered at St. Francis of Assisi Church to honor the life of fallen Customs and Border Protection Officer Ruben Facio.
After fighting for his life for two months, Facio passed away in a Phoenix hospital on July 17, due to complications from COVID-19. He was just 57 years old.
His passing affected all those who were close to him. With a career that spanned 17 years, Facio is sure to be missed by everyone whose life he touched.
During his time with CBP, Facio worked at the San Luis port of entry before eventually moving onto the New Orleans port of entry.
For those who worked with him, like CBP Chaplain Teresa Small, Facio was known for being able to mix his professionalism with his sense of humor.
“He worked side by side with many of us and during those times it was always professional, but there was also some play in there because he was always pretty much a jokester, so it was fun, if you will, to be working alongside of him,” Small said.
Aside from his job, Facio was a loving father and grandfather. His son Omar Facio says that he was always doing what he could to make his grandkids happy.
“That’s one of the things that my kids are going to miss from their grandpa, when he’d come over he’d always give them nicknames and always hand out little candies or treats for them," Facio said.
"Always playing around with them, trying to keep up with a five, six, 10 year old, is kind of a pretty nice sight to see when you have your grandpa.”
While Facio’s family knew just how social he was, they weren’t expecting the turn out they got on Friday.
But after seeing how many people did show up, they immediately knew why.
“It showed that he was always very forthcoming with people, always enjoyed talking to them always you know chit chatting, sharing his food, that kind of thing and so I mean we did not expect this showing that we had,” Facio said.
