Help Nadine put her dad, Ruben Zuniga, to rest

On June 6, 2022 Nadine received the tragic news that her father was found dead in his home.

This is hard news for anyone to receive but it was a little more difficult for Nadine because she had been estranged from her father for most of her life. The last time she spent with him was when she was 2 years old. She only has a few pictures, such as the cover picture in this post to remember him by, and the stories told to her from his surviving siblings.

She had always wanted a relationship with him. In fact, up until June 6 of this year, she still carried the lifelong hope to meet him; asking relatives to ask him if he wanted to see her or, at the very least, hoping that she would run into him again. Unfortunately, Ruben had no interest in making this wish come true. This impacted her life in several ways - she was teased when she was younger for not having a present father. She missed out on having a male role model. Yet, instead of growing bitter, she still persisted with her dream of making some form of contact again.

Now we know this was not meant to be.

A San Bernardino County Sheriffs Deputy informed Nadine that since her father (Ruben Zuniga) was no longer married, she was legally his next of kin. Therefore, it is her responsibility to make arrangements for what to do with his body once the coroner is done with their examination.

Nadine wants to do the right thing. Even as he is departed, she can at least be the one to put him to rest. But this whole situation is putting a lot of extra stress and anxiety on her. She knows very little about him; she does know that he was a very private man. And that is it. It's not fair that she has been left in this situation, having to make final arrangements for a man who rejected her outright.

While it will take time to grieve and to heal, one thing we can help Nadine with is the cost of the final arrangements. The most modestly priced arrangement she has found is for cremation which starts at $1000. Although not an exorbitant amount, this is not money that Nadine has to spare.

If you have a few dollars to contribute, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you