Editor’s note: This article is part of a KSAT 12 special project Remembering the Victims of the Robb Elementary School.
Eva Mireles, 44, will be remembered as a hero.
Her close friend also said she was a loving person devoted to her family.
“She was a…great mom, sister and friend…She was a great wife,” said Juan Maldonado, a friend of Mireles and her family.
Mireles is survived by her husband, Ruben Ruiz, and her daughter, Adalynn Ruiz.
She spent 17 years as a teacher.
“She…took her job very seriously…she loved her job,” Maldonado said.
Mireles was also athletic. One of her passions was CrossFit.
Maldonado said he’ll miss her outgoing personality.
“Eva…cannot be replaced. She would light up the whole room just because of her smile, her personality,” he said.
Maldonado said he’s not surprised Mireles lost her life while trying to keep her students safe on May 24.
“She protected her students. And she’s a hero to everyone…to the family and to Uvalde,” Maldonado said.