Friends, family remember grandmother, 2-year-old at funeral

There were bus drivers, bikers and babies.

There were those formally dressed and those wearing sneakers. There were young and old, black and white.

The crowd at the funeral for Rebecca Sacra and her grandson, Jonathan Ortiz, was a lot like her life: overflowing with all types of people who had one thing in common. They loved this woman and she loved them.

“She just gave, gave, gave, not looking ever for anything in return,” said her daughter Susie Delgado.

The 60-year-old Alexandria resident and her 2-year-old grandson lost their lives Sept. 4 when the car Delgado was driving was rear-ended on Prince William Parkway near University Boulevard just after midnight.

The threesome, along with Delgado’s 12-year-old nephew, were returning from watching the family friendly Dixie Stampede tour in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Sacra had insisted that the family see the Stampede, which involved horse feats, stunt riders and magic tricks.

“My mom said we had to go; she wanted to see Jonathan watch the show,” Delgado said.

Less than 20 miles from Sacra’s home, the tragedy struck. According to police reports, William John Mallory of Stafford rear-ended Delgado’s car, causing it to careen off the road, through a fence, across a field and onto some boulders.

Mallory was charged with DUI.

When Sacra’s friend Mike Dodson heard the news, he couldn’t believe it. Her former boss when she drove school buses for the city of Alexandria, Dodson said Sacra was always striving to be perfect in her 30 years of service.

That included a meticulous attention to detail when it came to preserving the safety of her special-needs riders.

“If one thing was out of place, she would not drive it until a mechanic fixed it,” Dodson said. “If there was a wheelchair that needed to be adjusted, she would require it be adjusted
before she transported students. She was so committed to student safety.”

During the hour-and-a-half ceremony, Pastor Ray Greenley of National Prayer Chapel in Woodbridge admitted he was angry when he heard about the accident.

Greenley did not know Sacra but fondly recalled Jonathan getting out of his mother’s clutches during Sunday services. Greenley would raise his voice to be heard by the congregation, as Jonathan would fend off his mother in the aisle as best he could.

“He was a big little man; he was full of personality,” Greenley said. “He was his daddy’s boy.”

But as angry as he was, Greenley preached forgiveness Saturday and readying oneself for the afterlife.

“It’s the beginning for them and it can be the beginning for you,” Greenley told the audience.

Carol Singer, mother of Delgado’s good friend Jody Allen, never knew Sacra but knows what Delgado is going through now. In 1997, Singer lost her 23-year-old son when he was hit by a train.
“You never get over it,” Singer said of losing a child. “It’s not the order of life.”

While Saturday was a day to mourn the passing of two special individuals, it was also a day to educate those in attendance about the dangers of drinking and driving.

Before the service at Mountcastle Funeral Home, Allen made and distributed black, blue and red ribbons for mourners to wear. Along with the traditional black for mourning, the blue and red ribbons represent drunken driving and DUI awareness, respectively.

“People just need to be aware of the lives that were shattered,” said an emotional Allen. “Susie has a lot of faith, so I know she will get through this.”

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.