Community remembers retired Las Cruces Public School teacher who died from COVID-19

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KFOX14) — As coronavirus cases continue to surge across Doña Ana County, another life has been taken.

The Las Cruces community is now mourning the loss of a retired Las Cruces Public School teacher and current substitute.

67-year-old Damacio Bernal died on Monday after spending two weeks in Mountain View Hospital with COVID-19.

Bernal retired from Zia Middle School after teaching for nearly 30 years. He then went on to substitute with the district for the past nine years.

His kids are remembering him as a man of God who brought a smile to everyone’s faces.

“He loved God, he loved praising God, he loved praising at church, serving in the church,” his son Porfirio Bernal said.

They described him as selfless and said he gave his life to others.

“This virus is real and it hurts whenever it takes someone so close and dear to your heart,” his daughter, Elizabeth Vigil said.

Bernal was one of nine family members who recently caught COVID-19.

While everyone was able to recover at home, him and his daughter Brandy Torres were admitted into the hospital.

“I had the privilege of being there with him in ICU,” Torres said.

As Torres is now thankfully recovering at home, she said looking back, she’ll never forget the last moments with her first love, her dad.

“He looked at me and he told me, ‘I took care of you when you were little and now you’re taking care of me.’ We were supposed to come out together,” Torres said.

His kids said he was a loving husband and father and a passionate teacher who cared deeply for his students.

“It does take a special person to work with kids and my dad had that,” Vigil said.

LCPS Superintendent Dr. Karen Trujillo is also remembering Bernal and the man that he was.

“He was a shining light in this world that is often dark, and he fought to the end. To us, he was Mr. Bernal, but to his family, he was a husband, father, grandpa, brother and uncle. He will be deeply missed,” Trujillo said.

His son Dee Bernal said his dad was his best friend and consoler. He told KFOX14 it’s hard to imagine life without him.

“My dad left a legacy, he was a warrior and he was a fighter,” Dee Bernal said. “If the world was ever so much near like my dad, I truly believe it wouldn’t be so conflicted.”

Through the families heartbreak, pain and loss, they hope their story can help others take this virus seriously.

“To everyone out there, take this virus really seriously. The hardest thing for us is we couldn’t say goodbye to my dad the way we wanted, now we have to live with that,” Vigil said. “Not being able to have said goodbye in person, or to see him leave, or hold his hand, it hurts.”

They said they don’t ever want anyone to go though the pain they did due to the circumstances the virus brought upon them.

“I feel like this virus separates families. Our dad was in the hospital for two weeks by himself, fighting by himself and I know isolation is not a good thing for anyone who’s sick. I don’t wish this upon anyone, to not be able to say bye to their loved one,” Vigil said.

Bernal’s family wants to say thank you to the community for the support they have shown during this very difficult time.