BY SABRA STAFFORD AND KRISTINA HACKER
Turlock Journal
The collision that killed three members of the Lourenco family has claimed the life of one more member.
Family announced on Friday that Matthew Lourenco, 14, showed no brain activity and was removed from life support, but not before donating his vital organs, the family said.
“After numerous tests, it has been confirmed that Matthew has no brain function,” the family wrote in a Facebook post. “His heart, however, was filled with kindness and love and will save another. Matthew will be donating vital organs saving up to five lives.”
The Dec. 15 collision has claimed the lives of Daniel, 44, and Jennifer Lourenco, 45, along with their 16-year-old daughter Madelynn Lourenco. The couple’s eldest daughter, Emma, 18, remains in critical condition.
“Emma is still fighting strong and we pray that she continues to make progress and strides towards recovery,” the family wrote. “Please keep the prayers coming for our sweet Emma's healing.”
The collision was reported at 9:25 a.m. Dec. 15, at the intersection of Lander and Greenway avenues. Greenway has posted stop signs but Lander does not.
Uriel Guizar-Negrete,22, of Modesto was driving a 2008 Infiniti northbound on Lander at a high rate of speed, according to the California Highway Patrol. The Lourenco vehicle, a 2023 Jeep, was stopped at the stop sign at Greenway and entered Lander, where it was struck by the Infiniti.
The front of the Infiniti struck the left side of the Jeep. Guizar-Negrete was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Both Daniel and Jennifer Lourenco sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene of the collision.
Madelynn was sitting in the left rear side of the Jeep. She was rushed to Doctors Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries, according to the CHP.
Hundreds of community members gathered on Wednesday to remember the Laurenco family at a candlelight vigil held at Pitman High School. Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Kiley Gravatt said that the community suffered a heartbreaking loss.
“Daniel, Jen and Maddie have impacted so many lives and this loss has been unimaginable…The Lourenco family was and is very loved by the Pitman FFA department. There are truly no words to express our heartbreak as we grieve and pray. Our plan this evening was to offer something to our students and families to come together. It is evident the love for this family. As many of you joining us tonight are not necessarily connected to the Pitman FFA or ag department, as well as many of you have come from neighboring towns, schools, churches and locations where you have met the Lourenco family, it is very evident the impact they have had on an entire community of people in different areas,” she said.
Friends of the Laurenco children talked about the siblings’ tight bond and the feeling of the Laurencos being a second home.
“The first thing I noticed about the family, and the first thing that you get to leave on this planet with your own families, is your family. And if you had any relationship to any of the children or Jennifer or Dan themselves, you understood the love that they had and what they gave to their children, and the foundation of that was, was their faith,” said Tim McCabe, a Pitman teacher and cross country coach to Matthew. “It was pretty amazing to me as a coach, when I got to see this group of freshmen that I have this year, freshman boys all on their own, huddling up on the line before a race with their arms around each other, and they would pray…We want to see the foundation that was laid by their parents and the legacy of faith that they have. Psalm 34:18 says our Lord is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those who are crushed in spirit. And we are crushed. The family is crushed. It feels like the weight is too heavy to lift. But as a community, everybody that you see around you, we get to have a hand with that heavy weight, and we can lift whatever we can, because that's what community is all about.”
David Costa, a first cousin of Daniel Lourenco’s, said that it was “inspiring to know that that their kindness and their joy and just their very normal way to live Holiness has touched so many people.”
Services have been scheduled for Daniel, Jennifer, Madelyn and Matthew Laurenco. Visitation and viewing will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 26 at Turlock Memorial Park, 425 N. Soderquist Rd. A funeral mass and rosary will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 27 at Our Lady of Assumption, 2602 S. Walnut Rd., Turlock. Both events are open to the public. There is also a GoFundMe to help cover the four funerals. To donate, visit: https://gofund.me/566c6cc5
