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IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – It had only been 24 hours since Teresa Silerio laid her son to rest when she got the news that another son had just been killed.
The Bonneville County Sheriff's Office found a body inside a Buick Verano while responding to a two-vehicle crash on North River Road Friday night. The crash is still under investigation and law enforcement has not officially released the names of the people involved.
But Maria Alvarez, a friend of the Silerio family, informed EastIdahoNews.com Monday afternoon that the man killed in the crash was 37-year-old Juan Silerio, Teresa Silerio's son.
The day before, Teresa Silerio and her family held a funeral for Juan's brother, Ramon, 36, who died on April 19 from a heart condition.
After losing two sons within weeks of each other, Teresa Silerio's head is spinning and she can hardly believe it.
"She's speechless. She can't even process it," Alvarez said of Teresa Silerio.
Teresa Silerio doesn't speak English fluently so Alvarez is speaking on her behalf.
Alvarez said Ramon Silerio, who lived in Roberts with his mom and had a prior history of health issues, had been at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City for six weeks prior to his death. She doesn't know what the specific issue was but said he went to the doctor because he was concerned about something related to his heart.
Ramon Silerio ended up in Utah, where they scheduled him for surgery. There were some complications and he did not survive.
He was buried on Thursday at the Market Lake Cemetery in Roberts.
Alvarez explains Ramon Silerio would call his mother every morning at 8 a.m. to check on her. Teresa Silerio is a single mom and she works the late shift at her job. In the days since Ramon Silerio's passing, Teresa Silerio can't help but think of him when she looks at the clock every morning.
"When he had days off, he'd call her to see if she took lunch or if she wanted him to take care of lunch. She hated driving in the snow so he would drive from Roberts to Idaho Falls. When she got off her shift, her car (had all the snow scraped off it). It was (running) and warm. He would have her follow him to a gas station and they would leave her car there and he would drive her home," said Alvarez.
Teresa Silerio and her son went everywhere together and she's going to miss him.
The day after the funeral, Alvarez said Juan Silerio had gone to Idaho Falls to get some food for his mom so she wouldn't have to worry about cooking anything while she was grieving.
"He said he wouldn't be long and that he'd bring me dinner," Teresa Silerio said, according to Alvarez.
It was 11:30 p.m. when a cop came and knocked on the door to deliver the news (that Juan had been killed in a crash). She didn't want to believe it.
–Maria Alvarez
When Juan Silerio left around 7:10 p.m., his mother had no idea that would be the last time she would talk to him. He died instantly in a crash 20 minutes later.
After several hours, Teresa Silerio wondered what was taking so long.
"It was 11:30 p.m. when a cop came and knocked on the door to deliver the news (that Juan had been killed in a crash)," said Alvarez. "She didn't want to believe it."
Alvarez said she was at the Dog Park about a mile from the crash site when it occurred. She saw all the police cars and wondered what was going on, but thought nothing of it. She was shocked to learn what had happened in a text from her brother the next day.
"When I was finally able to call my family and they confirmed that's what happened, I felt unbelievably horrible for them," Alvarez recalls.
She was reluctant to approach Teresa Silerio in her time of mourning, but she wanted to help. She opened a GoFundMe and Venmo account on the family's behalf to help pay for funeral expenses. More than $4,800 has been donated so far.
"Teresa and her family are very thankful for the support they are receiving. She has had a very rough last two months between renting cars and hotels and missing work to go see Ramón and borrowing money for his funeral and to then have this tragic death of her other son Juan is unimaginable!" Alvarez writes in an email to EastIdahoNews.com.
Alvarez anticipates it costing about $40,000 to pay for both funerals and she's asking you to donate anything you can.
Juan and Ramon Silerio were both single. In addition to their mother, they leave behind another brother and a sister. Juan Silerio's funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at noon at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Roberts.
*Disclaimer: KSL.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does KSL.com assure that the monies deposited will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit or donation you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
