SAN ANTONIO — The sun is receding as people file underneath a wooden gazebo. There is a speaker in the corner. A box contains blue t-shirts, and on them, the quote 'be fun, be kind, be fearless; be like Dani.'
Cars line the entrance of Friedrich Wilderness Park, and while some try to hold back tears, others laugh, remembering 25-year-old Daniela Lute and 26-year-old Diana Rubio.
Police say 58-year-old Ricardo Rodriguez was driving the wrong way when he hit their car. Both women were killed on impact. Rodriguez has been charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter.
Lute's father, Phillip, said they chose the color and park for a reason. Blue was Lute's favorite color, and the park was a place she would find solace.
"This is one of her favorite places to hang out just to, you know, relax," Phillip said.
They decided to host the memorial to honor the women's lives, taken much to soon.
"She was just starting out, just getting her life started," Phillip said.
Lute had only known Diana Rubio for a short time, but Rubio’s family says the pair were good friends.
"They're very, very much alike," Rubio's sister, Karla Rubio said.
Both women were described as free-spirited, caring and fun.
"At a party, she'd make it a point to go around and meet every person," Karla said.
Her siblings said she was an inspiration to her family, and lived for the day.
"Hay 'sta la vida, vivela" was an adage their grandmother would say. Her older brother, Ainan Bauvas, said Diana knew how to take pleasure in life and followed those words.
"It's just like just live life, like because it's life. And that's pretty much what life is for a living," Bauvas said.
And while both women are gone, Rubio's family said they are trying to find beauty in their loss.
"We're going to learn from it and we're going to grow from it. And we I think we already are... A lot," Bauvas said.
Both families also said they are grateful for the support they received, saying it is no surprise hearing such wonderful things about both women, because that is who they were.
"I have no hatred, no bitterness other than the fact I lost my daughter, but she was an awesome woman," Phillip said.