BY EMILY MIBACH
Daily Post Staff Writer
The three Menlo-Atherton High School graduates who were always together before they were killed in a tragic car crash will also be memorialized together, according to an email from Principal Simone Kennel.
Those who wish to say goodbye to Matthew Cruz, 18, of Menlo Park, Andrew Gonzales, 18, and Ricardo Torres, 19, both of Redwood City, can attend services at the Church of the Nativity at 210 Oak Grove Ave. in Menlo Park, for the three best friends Wednesday (Nov. 8) and Thursday (Nov. 9).
There will be a viewing at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday (Nov. 8) at the church followed by a 7 p.m. vigil.
A funeral Mass is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 9) at the church and a reception will follow at 6 p.m. at Nativity Catholic School’s Sobrato Pavilion at 1250 Laurel St. in Menlo Park.
The three young men died after their car crashed off of Skyline Boulevard, south of Bear Gulch Road, on Halloween night.
They had grown up together, recently graduated together and their families even vacationed together.
Yesterday (Nov. 6), Menlo-Atherton High School’s newscast, “M-A Today!,” paid
tribute to the three young men, with student announcer Wesley remembering them as “the light to all of our lives” before reading “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost and tearing up a bit on camera.
The newscast wrapped up by showing photos of Torres, Cruz and Gonzales.
In her email to the M-A community, Kennel said the school’s first priority has been to take care of students and staff members. Guidance counselors, the student support coordinator and Star Vista clinicians are available to help people through the tragedy.
“Matthew Cruz, Andrew Gonzales and Ricardo Torres will forever be in our hearts and thoughts at Menlo-Atherton,” Kennel wrote.
M-A staff and employees of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, where Torres and Gonzales were junior firefighters and where Torres’ father works, have put together GoFundMe pages for the families of all three young men.
The GoFundMe pages, where people can donate to the families, can be found at the following links:
• https://www.gofundme.com/matthew-cruz
• https://www.gofundme.com/andrew-r-gonzales
• https://www.gofundme.com/ricky-torres
