SAN ANTONIO – Words are hard to come by these days for Nancy Nealy, but the tears flow freely.
She says her family is devastated by the loss of her stepson, Wayne Willett, who was hit and killed by an alleged drunk driver Sunday evening.
SAPD: Man charged with intoxication manslaughter after pedestrian hit, killed
Willett, who she said was on his way to a job interview at the time, was in the crosswalk, walking across Nacogdoches Road near El Charro.
According to a preliminary report from San Antonio police, the van driver ran a red light and hit him, knocking him across the street.
Police arrested Sergio Vasquez, 50, right away on a charge of intoxication manslaughter.
As of Tuesday morning, he remained in the Bexar County jail with his bond set at $75,000.
“He had the most the infectious laugh. He would always crack me up,” said Nealy, reflecting on her memories of Willett. “He would come to visit me and my husband, to Corpus. He loved to go fishing.”
Nealy happened to be in San Antonio, visiting a friend for Thanksgiving, when she got the sad news.
She said Willett’s four siblings and her own children are heartbroken by his unexpected death.
The family, including Willett’s father, also are wondering how they’ll pay for his burial.
“Usually, we grow old and we build up that plan in life,” she said, sobbing. “We’re not ready for it with our children.”
None of it makes sense to Nealy, but she says she hopes others will learn from it.
“Just get the message out there that drink is not worth the cause of a person’s life,” she said.