Victims of mud slide are laid to rest, family mourns
by Christine Young and Priscilla Cabral Intermountain Catholic LOGAN — Evelia Jacqueline Leavey and her two children, Victor Alanis, 13, and Abbey Alanis, 12, were killed when a mud slide crushed their home July 11. Father Clarence Sandoval celebrated a funeral Mass for the family July 21, at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. "Brothers and sisters, with faith, God always received the good we have done and forgives our sins," said Fr. Sandoval. Cristina Alanis, Leavey’s sister-in-law learned about the mud slide when her husband received a phone call. "They told my husband it was very possible the three of them were not alive because the house had collapsed under the slide," said Cristina. "We left on Monday hoping we ’d still find them alive. They had already found the bodies when we got there Tuesday." "We want to express our relief and gratitude now that the search effort has come to a conclusion," said a family spokesperson July 15. Victor and Abbey will forever be remembered and cherished through the memories of them giving love above their own needs. The quiet, soft-spoken Abbey complimented the outgoing, fun-loving Victor. They were the brightness of the future that now forever shine as lights in the sky. Like a shell to a turtle, a flipper to a penguin, they were two peas in a pod. And now they go hand-in-hand to God. Victor was born Sept. 11, 1996, in Ogden, and Abbey was born July 3, 1997, in Ogden to Victor Alanis and Evelia Jacqueline Leavey. They attended elementary schools in Ogden, as well as in Pasadena, Texas, and Wendover, Utah. Victor enjoyed playing video games, watching television, and playing soccer. Abbey enjoyed cats, playing soccer, and reading. Jacqueline wanted nothing more in life than to see other people laugh and smile. The love that was carried through her was felt by every soul she touched. She enjoyed cooking for her loved ones and sharing most of her time with her children. Her family said she fulfilled her rightful place as angel on July 11, when she was taken from them prematurely in an unexpected disaster. Jacqueline was born Feb. 7, 1966, in Santa Ana, El Salvador, to Antonio Ortiz and Reina G. Rivera. She attended junior high and high school in Glendale, Calif. Over the past several years, she lived in Ogden, Texas, Wendover, and Logan. She had worked as a sales representative at Dillard’s. The family is survived by Jacqueline’s parents, Reina Rivera and Antonio Ortiz; sister, Rosa M. Rivera, and numerous extended family members. The father of the children, Victor Alanis, was in disbelief when he was told of the mud slide. Jacqueline and her two children lived in Ogden for 15 years before moving to Texas. "We did not know a month ago, my friends, that we would be here today, that something like this was going to happen and that we were going to be here with the family of Jacqueline, Victor, and Abbey. We did not know," said Fr. Sandoval. "And we don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow or what’s going to happen next week. We can only trust God will take care of us and be with us in a special way." During his homily, Fr. Sandoval then told the story about a man who died. Once the man was in Jesus’ presence, scenes from his life flashed before him. He noticed there were two sets of footprints in most of the scenes. One set belonged to him and the other one to Jesus. Then the man noticed that during the most difficult times in his life there was only one set of footprints so he said to Jesus, "Why did you abandon me? Where did you go?" And Jesus replied, "My friend, I was with you. I carried you. Those footprints were not yours. They were mine." "My friends, when we heard the story in the news about Jacqueline, Abbey, and Victor, when we heard about the accident, Jesus was carrying all of us. There were not four footprints. There were two. Jesus was carrying all of us, especially the family, carrying them in a very special way so they could feel his love and his presence," said Fr. Sandoval. "My friends, we do not look at what color we are, what language we speak, or what culture we are because we are one family, one community," said Fr. Sandoval. Fr. Sandoval then asked everyone to continue to pray for the family that was left behind because they will need strength in the days to come. Fr. Sandoval said the community came together in all of the rescue crews, the fire department, and the search and rescue people. Outside the church following the funeral Mass, Fr. Sandoval removed the white cloth, the pall, that draped each of the caskets. He said the pall represents our baptismal garment. He invited the family to come and kiss the caskets, which is a Latino custom. He said this begins the grieving process and is a good thing. The caskets were taken to the Logan City Cemetery for interment. "Thanks for being here at this moment… I cannot find the words to thank you," said Rivera. "Jacqueline, Victor, and Abbey, I know are with our Lord, happy to see everything that is going on and are thankful you are here. Thanks to those who came from far away, especially Abbey and Victor’s friends. I know they loved you too, even though you only knew each other for a short period of time." "Abbey was very lovable. They were respectful and nice," said Alondra Guzman. "We were the best of friends," said Maria Maldonado about Abbey, Victor, Lidia Delgadillo, and herself. Maldonado and Delgadillo were wearing the bracelets the siblings made for them before moving from Wendover to Logan. "They made them with Abbey’s shoelaces and Victor’s beads," said Guzman. A Leavey/Alanis Wells Fargo account was opened to assist the family. Worried residents had filed complaints to the State Legislature, and even commissioned a study for Utah State University to look at the stability of the hillside, but no one was warned, and in hindsight, many are saying they should have been. City officials even feel someone should have warned residents, but admit it did not happen, according to reports following the mudslide. The residents report hearing an explosion. City officials say the hillside basically came right out onto the foundation within seconds. They say this was not caused from events above the canal, it was a failure of the entire constructed fill under the canal. They say water saturation is what causes these kinds of things to happen. In a May City Council Meeting, Logan City Mayor Pam Parker said water is leaking from the canals due to cracks in the walls. It will probably be a while before anything is determined. Residents just hope now some things will get figured out.
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