ODESSA, Texas — Jose Jimenez was the heart of his family and he lived for two big things in life: The Lord and his family.
"My father to me was who I looked up to, he was my teacher," Jimenez's daughter Jessica Utajara said.
He made sure to pass down all of his values to his daughters.
"I loved him regardless. He's a minister, we grew up worshiping the Lord all our lives since we were little bitty," said his eldest daughter Dalila Jimenez.
Jose lived everyday to the fullest until he passed last year to COVID-19; a loss that his family is still coming to terms with.
"It's something that you never expect that's going to happen to you," said Ofelia Jimenez, his wife of 50 years.
A piece of the Jimenez's hearts is gone too soon. It's a feeling that a lot of families have felt when it comes to losing a loved one to COVID, which is why Dalila Jimenez wants to bring a Yellow Heart Memorial to West Texas.
"I would love to bring it here to Ector County and to the Midland County area, I’m looking for a place to put the same thing because there’s a lot of families here who have lost family to COVID.”
The Yellow Heart Memorial symbolizes a life lost to COVID. The idea was created by Rosie Davis, who lost her own mother to the virus and wanted others to have a piece of work to commemorate and honor that person in their life.
The Jimenez family thinks it would be needed here because of all the families in the area that have gone through what they have.
"To me I’m doing something for somebody else’s heart and at the same time I’m healing my heart because my heart's healing from the hurt of missing my dad," said Dalia Jimenez.