SAN ANTONIO — Almost 20 garbage trucks were on Highway 16, Saturday afternoon going from San Antonio, to Poteet, to Von Ormy. All of them were a part of a procession for Hector Reyna.
"He'd always wish that he'd have garbage trucks at his funeral proceeding," said Bobby Villanueva, Reyna's nephew. " Kind of as a joke, but we wanted to do it to honor him."
Reyna, who was known for his humor in his family, worked in the waste industry. He sold his latest company Metro Waste, which was based out of Poteet to Frontier Waste, and was still working for them when he was killed on Wednesday, July 31.
"My uncle was a migrant worker," Villanueva said. "They came from nothing and built himself up into a millionaire. He was so successful at everything that he did. Anyone can be successful as long as they work as hard as he did."
Police said Reyna lost the load he was hauling on the highway at Loop 410 near Sinclair on the southeast side. According to the report, witnesses said he was removing the trash bins out of the roadway when a driver of a 18-wheeler hit Reyna and killed him.
"He’s one of the safest people I ever met," said James Rodriquez, Reyna's friend and colleague of 18 years. "He always looked out for us. He'd be on the route making sure we had water and juice, you know, whatever we need.”
On Saturday, Reyna's family laid him to rest, but are still in disbelief over his loss. The police report stated that witnesses said there was no way the driver could have avoided hitting the 62-year-old.
"As far as I know, it's still being investigated, which I think it should be, because, you know, I do think that, either that driver was reckless or distracted," said Victoria Reyna, his daughter.
His family said Reyna was a mentor, who also served his country. He was the life of a party, a jokester and an avid Steelers fan. His daughter hopes his tragic and sudden death serves as a reminder for those on the road.
"It's important to stay off your phones and pay attention because then, you know, something like this can happen and you can wreck an entire family without even knowing it," Victoria Reyna said.
The family said that seven different companies joined the lineup on Saturday.