The father’s sacrifice: To save his son, he loses his life and the sad choice is left

Two decisions confront a devastated family weeks after their patriarch made a huge sacrifice.

The family of Juan Andrade, 55, is considering where to bury their beloved husband and father after he died saving his son on April 14 at a lake in Lincoln Park. And they are trying to figure out how to move forward without him.

Juan, a helper and cook, went into the lake to rescue his 14-year-old son, Kevin. The girl went into the water while her father was talking to her brother in Michoacán, Mexico, according to Juan’s wife, Michelle.

Juan kept his son afloat long enough for a bystander to pull Kevin from the water unharmed, Michelle, 44, said.

However, the boy’s father did not wake up again, his wife believing that he was trapped in the well of the lake. Rescuers pulled her body out of the water half an hour later and rushed her to Los Angeles General Medical Center, where Michelle worked on the clean-up team throughout the night.

“They told me to wait for him in the room where many guests are told that family members have died or been seriously injured,” said Michelle. “That’s when I saw that he was dead.

Her husband was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.

The cause and manner of death remain under investigation, which is listed as “postponed,” the medical examiner’s office said. That means the department is asking for more tests or courses.

Deferred cases can take several months.

“We were sad because he meant everything to us,” said Michelle. He was a good father, a good husband and always showed that he loved us.”

The family will hold a private viewing on Tuesday. They don’t reveal the place or the time, they want to keep the memorial as small and family-oriented as possible.

That may have been an easy decision.

Michelle, Kevin and daughters Ruby, 16, and Esmeralda, 17, now have to decide where to place him.

Another option is to bury Juan in Kennewick, Wash., where his mother pleaded for him to return. Juan, who was working in the field and cooking in a Chinese restaurant at the time, attracted and married Michelle, who was then a Lowe’s cashier, there after meeting in 2008.

Michelle also thought of bringing her husband’s body back to Michoacán, so that she could be with her younger brother, who died at the age of 7 due to heart problems, who often talked about disappearing badly.

Then, another option is the Eastside, where Michelle is from and where the family moved in 2020, at the suggestion of her sister-in-law, for improved medical services for Kevin.

“Kevin was unresponsive and difficult to communicate with,” said his mother, “and the opportunities were better for him here.”

Kevin can now put words together and has improved understanding between himself and family members after years of behavioral and speech therapy supported by Functional Behavior Analysis, the science of learning and behavior.

“Part of the decision on where he will be buried is about money and if there will be enough for him to see, bury him and send him to Washington or Mexico,” said Michelle.

Her niece, Elizabeth Silva, created an online fundraising campaign to help. Almost $22,000 donated from Friday morning.

The most difficult test, however, is how to best honor the memory of the man at the heart of the Andrade family.

To Ruby’s daughter, her father was a patient and loving man.

Six years ago when she was just 10 years old, Ruby found her way into the family’s Amazon account and enjoyed an early Christmas, ordering $800 worth of merchandise, including clothes and toys, to be shipped to their Lincoln Heights home without her parents’ permission.

“His salary was only about $1,000 at the time,” she recalled with a laugh, holding back tears. “But he didn’t get angry and he didn’t give anything back instead he told me ‘my money is yours.’ He was that kind of person.”

For Esmeralda, her father was the man who “made amazing corn tortillas,” tucked her in at night and always offered words of encouragement.

“He made us feel special and important,” she said. “It was hard not being around him and therapy is not like a hug or someone saying to you, ‘I love you.’”

One morning in April, a red-eyed Michelle fell into bed fully clothed after finishing her grueling 11pm to 7:30am shift.

That was until her husband gently removed her glasses and shoes and threw a blanket over her. He fell asleep in minutes, he said.

The evenings were busy for Juan as well, she remembered, including cooking tacos for the kids, washing up in the kitchen and reading and talking with Kevin.

“He always put his family first,” said Michelle. “He was so loving and I don’t know how we would go on without him.”