Antonio Basco didn’t think anyone was going to show up to his wife’s memorial, as he didn’t have much family in the area who would be able to pay their last respects.
Margie Reckard, the wife of Basco, was one of the 22 victims killed in the El Paso massacre on Aug. 3, 2019.
Harrison Johnson, the funeral director at Perches, shared the memorial plans on Facebook Tuesday and invited the community to mourn the loss of Reckard together.
The city of El Paso responded accordingly, coming in masses to support Basco. Hundreds joined inside of the funeral home with more waiting outside in the Texas heat, stretching for blocks around the funeral home.
"He represents what this community is all about and that's about caring for one another,” Johnson said of Basco.
Basco and Reckard had been together for 22 years. For the past two weeks since the shooting, Basco has spent every day at a makeshift memorial in the Walmart parking lot by a cross bearing Reckard’s name, staying late in the night to grieve her.
Reckard’s services moved to a larger space in the area, La Paz Faith Memorial & Spiritual Center, to accommodate the overwhelming community response.
"It's very emotional just seeing us all here and supporting him,” community member Clemen Monuz told NBC's Gadi Schwartz.
The accused gunman, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, has been charged with capital murder and is currently being held without bail. Crusius confessed to the shooting and admitted to targeting people of Mexican descent.
Reckard’s funeral is the last for the 22 victims in the shooting.