Funeral Expenses for Kevin & Trust Fund for Edwin

On the night of December 1st, Kevin Mercado’s wrecked vehicle was found on Highway 385, near Houston Levee, by Collierville PD. That same night his parents (Antonio and Martha) were notified by CPD that Kevin was not inside the vehicle and that they were unable to make contact with him. 

 

Antonio, Martha, his brother Larry, and a few family members went out to the scene of the accident to look for Kevin. They spent the rest of the day contacting his acquaintances in hopes that Kevin may have been with one of them following the accident. Their efforts were unsuccessful, so they returned to the woods searching for Kevin.

 

On the morning of Sunday December 6th, some of Kevin’s personal belongings were found near a ditch, narrowing the search area. Unfortunately, some hours later, his deceased body was recovered near the Nonconnah Creek.

 

Kevin was a lynchpin to his family, working hard to cultivate their small family restaurant, Tony’s Tacos. Antonio and Martha, along with Kevin and Larry, have spent the last year and a half feeding our bellies and our hearts with their delicious Mexican food. The Mercado family made every customer feel like an old friend and fed us all as such. There have been numerous times when any one of the members have stepped into the dining area bringing samples for us to enjoy simply out of their joy of sharing their love of cooking.

 

The Mercado family has been so successful in their efforts to support and engage with our community, that they were finally days away from moving into a bigger establishment to better serve their customers. The new location was a big part of Kevin’s dreams and aspirations, and he looked forward to opening it and growing with it. Kevin took great pride in this accomplishment that his family had reached.

 

He was a proud son, but most importantly, a proud father, paving his way to provide a better life for his family. Most of us who have visited Tony’s Tacos have gotten to know his son Edwin as well. He is as personable as his father was. A sweet and outgoing guy who’s never met a stranger.  Edwin takes it upon himself to sit with customers and chat - sometimes about his favorite new toy, other times about his abuela Martha, but mostly to gush about his daddy, Kevin.  I don’t know that I’ve ever seen any little boy more excited to go to work with daddy and get to spend the day watching him and talking to all of us.

 

Kevin is survived by his parents, Antonio and Martha Mercado, as well as his younger brother, Larry Mercado. He leaves behind his four year old son, Edwin Mercado.

 

Within this tragedy, we as a community can show our love and support by helping the Mercado family with the expenses associated with Kevin’s funeral, and we have hopes to gather enough money to set up a fund for Edwin to ensure his future.

 

Please consider donating, share his story, and continue supporting Tony’s Tacos as they face this unimaginable pain during what is supposed to be the most joyous time of the year.

 

 

Please follow this page for any updates we may have in the coming days.

My name is Leslie and I am a friend of the Mercados and have set this fundraiser up in order to relieve their financial burden due to this tragedy.  These funds raised will be used to cover all funeral/burial expenses for the Mercado family and any remaining money will be set aside for Kevin's son Edwin for future needs and education.  There is a joint account set up by myself and another close friend of the family Lee Aaron Wilson.  Together with transparency and receipts we will disperse the funds to the Mercados and will assist the family in setting up a future account to be used for Kevin's son, Edwin.