SAN ANTONIO – The June 12 floods in San Antonio left Cristine Gonzalez’s fiancé and daughter mourning her loss.
Justin Kellman told KSAT that he was engaged to Gonzalez, 29.
She was a twin, a member of the Army Reserves and had most recently become a mother to her and Kellman’s eight-month-old daughter.
“We’ve pretty much known each other since we were kids,” Kellman said.
Kellman remembers playing baseball with Gonzalez when they were nine years old. He said they both went away to live their lives and found their way back to each other as adults.
However, their lives changed on June 12.
“Her mother called me, and I knew something was wrong immediately,” Kellman said. “I checked her location, and it was in the same spot for an hour and 20 minutes.”
For more than an hour, Gonzalez’s location showed her near Loop 410 and Perrin Beitel as floodwaters continued to pull cars away from the road.
>> What we know about the devastating San Antonio floods that killed 13 people on June 12
The flood on San Antonio’s Northeast Side took 13 lives, including Gonzalez’s. She was found at the Perrin Beitel and Loop 410 area, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office.
“It’s been tough,” Kellman said. “She was selfless, caring, nurturing.”
In the days following the flooding, Kellman has been able to lean on family, friends, and neighbors. However, raising his daughter without her mother has been a challenge he couldn’t know was coming.
“[Our daughter] decided that she wanted to start saying ‘mama’ now, so she’s starting to mumble that out,” Kellman said.
Kellman shares the following message with the public:
“She was a genuine soul, a genuine person, genuine love,” Kellman said.
Kellman then shared this message with his late fiancé:
“I love you,” Kellman said. “I miss you.”
Related KSAT coverage:
- ‘She was very much loved’: Family of Roseann Cobb seeks peace after deadly June 12 floods
