Loving support for Francisco and his family

My name is Karen Quant and I am fundraising for our beloved colleague and friend, Francisco Ortega. Francisco passed away on December 1st, after a courageous fight with Stage 4 Liver Cancer. Francisco has been an important member of our elementary school team since 2014 and worked as the Lead Custodian.

Francisco is survived by his wife Beatriz and his four children: Carlos, Michael, Daniel, and Andrea, who just graduated from high school in June 2022. We will all miss him greatly - he was not just our colleague but a friend to all of us. Every day you could hear students saying, "Mr. Francisco, can you open my yogurt?" or "Mr. Francisco, can you help me get the ball?"

Francisco was deeply cared about by the Star parents, staff, and students who knew him and interacted with him daily during morning drop-off, lunch, and recess times. Francisco also took great pride in our school and was always present to support school-wide events, weekend activities, and much more. He not only kept our school clean and safe, but also tended to the school garden, which grew beautiful sunflowers, squash, tomatoes, and other vegetables.

We are asking for the loving support of our community to help Francisco’s family through this difficult time. We are hoping to help pay for funeral costs, and support the future of Francisco’s wife and children, as he was the primary breadwinner in the family. We would also like to help his four children pursue higher education and other career opportunities.

Thank you,

Karen