Relatives of Robb Elementary teacher Eva Mireles spend time together at the site where artists are creating a mural to honor her at the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building in Uvalde. Her outstretched arms seemed to wrap this grieving community.

UVALDE — Father and daughter stood side by side last Sunday afternoon, taking in this grand mural. So vibrant, joyful and strong. Just like their beloved Eva Mireles.

Purple, orange, pink and yellow flowers grow in front of mountains, accented with sparkling hints of bling. Mireles’ bright smile is framed by her open arms holding two flags: “Always Strong” and “Crossfit” — symbols of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of tragedy.

Father and daughter studied the 18-by-30-foot mural of Mireles, a wife, mother, sister, friend and Robb Elementary School teacher. A lover of CrossFit. A hiker. A victim of gun violence. A hero.

The father, Ruben Ruiz Jr., is one of the five Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police officers who responded to the shooting. He is the officer who lost his wife, the desperate husband who was ready to enter the classroom with his gun, but instead was ushered out of the school's hall.

Their daughter, Adalynn “Addy” Ruiz, 23, is their only child. Mireles called her “Nanis.”

Their nightmare — this small, rural town’s nightmare — began nearly two months ago when an 18-year-old murdered 19 children, Mireles, and her co-teacher and friend, Irma Garcia with an assault rifle. Both teachers died trying to save their students.

Ruben and Addy Ruiz stood at the mural last Sunday afternoon, nearly two months after the Robb Elementary mass shooting — on the same day a Texas House committee released the most complete telling to date of the May 24 massacre. The report outlined, in fine detail, layers of failure in Uvalde — nonchalance about school security, including unlocked school doors, missed opportunities to stop a troubled boy from turning into a mass shooter and a chaotic, botched police response that has set this community on fire.

On ExpressNews.com: Victims’ families furious after horrific details surface in new report on Robb Elementary shooting

Ruben and Addy were less than a half mile away from the civic center where the House committee released the report to victims’ families. But their focus wasn’t on the report or the outrage and strife that is roiling this community. No, on this Sunday, they focused on this vibrant mural, as Tejano and Latin pop rock music filled the air and they spent time with the people who knew Mireles best and loved her most.

The mural adorns the side of the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building, where volunteers once tutored some of the Robb Elementary children who were killed.

More than 20 of Mireles’ closest family and friends sat under a tent for hours in the oppressive summer heat to watch the artists complete the mural. They listened to Mireles’ favorite music and shared cups of melon. Some helped. Paint brushes in their hands, they did their best to make the painting beautiful — just like their Eva Mireles.

This scene is what Express-News photojournalist Sam Owens and I first saw when we visited the mural just after the committee meeting.

Artists Sandra González, left, and Silvy Ochoa work on a portrait mural honoring Robb Elementary teacher Eva Mireles on the side of Briscoe Family Center in Uvalde. “I was really devastated when I heard the news, especially being a teacher and it being the last week of school,” González said. “It really broke me.”

Eva Mireles’ daughter Adalynn Ruiz, 23, helps paints flowers on the bottom of a mural honoring her mother on the side of the Briscoe Family Center in Uvalde. The grief in Uvalde is palpable, but the mural offers a measure of solace.

“It’s beautiful,” Ruben said.

“It’s perfect,” Addy said.

She said she could feel her mother’s presence, especially when one of her mother’s favorite songs, Marco Antonio Solís’ “Si No Te Hubieras Ido,” (“If You Hadn’t Left”) played. Tears filled their eyes.

“I miss you more than ever, and I don’t know what to do,” the song begins.

The “Healing Uvalde” mural project, which will include murals to honor each of the 21 victims, plus two additional murals that local children will help paint, isn’t complete.

The project originated with Abel Ortiz, a Uvalde artist and Southwest Junior College art professor. The day after the tragedy, Ortiz heard Felix Rubio, a deputy with the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office, say he didn’t want the death of his 10-year-old daughter, Alexandria “Lexi” Rubio, to be in vain.

“We will celebrate these lives every day, throughout town, down the alleys, in the barrio and in our hearts,” Ortiz said. “I had to take action to help heal the community and make sure these beautiful souls’ names and their faces are never forgotten.”

The murals are a collaborative work of art and love.

Monica Maldonado, founder of MAS Cultura, an Austin-based Latino arts nonprofit, is helping manage the effort. She set up a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $15,000 over several weeks. George Meza, an art collector, was also instrumental in organizing the project. Erika DeLaRosa at San Anto Cultural Arts, a community-based arts nonprofit, reached out to Texas volunteers.

The project should be completed by the end of August.

Sandra González, an art teacher with Roosevelt High School in San Antonio, said she worked on the mural of Eva for five days, with the help of assistants and volunteers. At one point, they worked until 5:30 a.m.

“I was really devastated when I heard the news, especially being a teacher and it being the last week of school,” she said. “It really broke me.”

The grief in Uvalde is so deep, it’s impossible to imagine healing.

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Eva Mireles’ daughter Adalynn Ruiz, 23, helps paints flowers on the bottom of a mural honoring her mother on the side of the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building in Uvalde. The grief in Uvalde is palpable, but the mural offers a measure of solace.

Eva Mireles’ husband Ruben Ruiz Jr. and daughter Adalynn Ruiz watch as artists paint a mural honoring Mireles on the side of the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building in Uvalde.

Addy Ruiz said she felt the presence of her mom, Eva Mireles, at her surprise 23rd birthday celebration on July 2. She celebrated at her mother’s grave.

Eva Mireles’ final hike to the “Top of Texas” — Guadalupe Peak was on May 15, 2021, nearly a year from the day she was murdered in the Robb Elementary school shooting.

Relatives of Robb Elementary teacher Eva Mireles spend time together at the site where artists are creating a mural to honor her at the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building in Uvalde, Sunday evening, July 17, 2022. Nearly two dozen loved ones gathered at the mural site on Sunday to meet the artists and help paint as well as share stories and listen to Mireles’ favorite music. The mural is part of the Healing Uvalde 21 mural project coordinated by Uvalde artist and educator Abel Ortiz and MAS Cultura founder Monica Maldonado.

Eva Mireles’ husband, Ruben Ruiz Jr., and daughter Adalynn Ruiz watch was artists paint a mural honoring Mireles on the side of the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building in Uvalde, Texas, Sunday, July 17, 2022. They spent several hours at the mural site sharing stories with loved ones and helping paint while listening to some of Mireles’ favorite songs.

Eva Mireles’ daughter, Adalynn Ruiz, 23, helps paints flowers on the bottom of a mural honoring her mother on the side of the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building in Uvalde, Sunday, July 17, 2022. Mireles was one of two teachers killed in the Robb Elementary massacre on May 24. Ruiz and nearly two dozen loved ones gathered at the mural site on Sunday to meet the artists and help paint as well as share stories and listen to Mireles’ favorite music.

Silvy Ochoa paints yellow flowers on the mural honoring 10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza on the side of Briscoe Family Center in Uvalde, Sunday afternoon, July 17, 2022. Uvalde artist and educator Abel Ortiz and MAS Cultura founder Monica Maldonado organized the Healing Uvalde portrait mural project to bring together regional artists to create 21 portrait murals to honor all the victims of the Robb Elementary School massacre. All of the murals are scheduled to be complete by the end of August.

Eva Mireles’ daughter, Adalynn Ruiz, 23, helps paints flowers on the bottom of a mural honoring her mother on the side of the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building in Uvalde, Sunday, July 17, 2022. Mireles was one of two teachers killed in the Robb Elementary massacre on May 24. Ruiz and nearly two dozen loved ones gathered at the mural site on Sunday to meet the artists and help paint as well as share stories and listen to Mireles’ favorite music.

Artists Alina De León and Cristina Noriega work on a mural honoring 10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza on the side of Briscoe Family Center in Uvalde, Sunday afternoon, July 17, 2022. Uvalde artist and educator Abel Ortiz and MAS Cultura founder Monica Maldonado organized the Healing Uvalde portrait mural project to bring together regional artists to create 21 portrait murals to honor all the victims of the Robb Elementary School massacre. All of the murals are scheduled to be complete by the end of August.

Artists Alina De León, from left, Cristina Noriega and Silvy Ochoa work on a mural honoring 10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza on the side of Briscoe Family Center in Uvalde, Sunday afternoon, July 17, 2022. Uvalde artist and educator Abel Ortiz and MAS Cultura founder Monica Maldonado organized the Healing Uvalde portrait mural project to bring together regional artists to create 21 portrait murals to honor all the victims of the Robb Elementary School massacre. All of the murals are scheduled to be complete by the end of August.

Artists Sandra Gonzalez, left, and Silvy Ochoa work on a portrait mural honoring Robb Elementary teacher Eva Mireles on the side of St. Henry De Osso Family Project building in Uvalde, Sunday, July 17, 2022. The mural is one of 21 being created for the Healing Uvalde project that will honor each victim of the Robb Elementary massacre.

MAS Cultura founder Monica Maldonado holds up a signed thank-you card she received from Eva Mireles’ family members as they visited the site where her mural is being painted on the St. Henry De Osso Family Project in Uvalde, Sunday, July 17, 2022. Mireles’ mural as designed and painted by San Antonio artist and educator Sandra Gonzalez.

And yet, each mural brings some solace to families suffering a life-shattering loss.

“She would have loved it,” Ruben said.

“She ran through here all the time,” Addy said. “So it’s a good spot. We would ride our bikes through here.”

Addy works out at the gym near the mural, so she will see it every day, feeling her mom’s presence.

“This is my favorite picture of her,” she said, referring to the photo used for the mural.

The photo was also on the front of Ruben’s black T-shirt, the words “In loving memory of” hanging above Mireles’ smiling face. Below, her date of birth — March 17, 1978 — and date of death — May 24, 2022.

The same image was tattooed on Addy’s forearm.

The photo was taken in November 2016 when Mireles, an avid hiker, had reached the “Top of Texas” — Guadalupe Peak. Having ascended 8,751 feet, she held two American flags, one in each hand. A triumphant smile spread across her face.

Her sister, Maggie Mireles Thomas, told me Mireles hiked the peak several times. Her final hike there was May 15, 2021. On her life’s journey, there were other hikes, like a visit to Yosemite in 2021.

On the weekend the family gathered at the mural, Mireles had planned to climb up the “Stairway to Heaven” at the Manitou Incline in Colorado with her best friend Angela Velasquez. Velasquez still made the trip.

For Mireles and Velasquez, hiking — the hard climb, the time to reflect, the sweet reward of an amazing view — grounded and energized them. They kept a “to-do list of peaks to fulfill.”

Each step, Velasquez thought of Mireles. Breathless, weeping for her friend throughout the 2,000-foot climb, Velasquez held Mireles’ photo high in the air at the summit.

“Eva, you made it, Eva!” she called to heaven.

I have come to Uvalde several times since the shooting, but each visit feels like a first as the story continues and the grief deepens. I was nervous speaking with Addy and Ruben, unsure of what to say. I was heavy with heartbreak for their family and Uvalde. I talked too much.

On ExpressNews.com: “‘My whole body aches for her’: A Uvalde High School senior graduates without her little sister.”

I told Addy her social media posts about her mom often made me cry.

“I cry, too,” Ruben said..

On the Sunday the family gathered at the mural, Mireles was supposed to be in Colorado for a hiking trip with her best friend Angela Velasquez, who still made the trip. She held Mireles’ photo high in the air for a photo.

In a note to her mother, posted on Twitter the day after the shooting, Addy called her mom her twin, her best friend, her hero. She thanked her mom for being an inspiration, for raising her to be so strong. She wrote about how her mom was a teacher during the day and a hardworking CrossFitter in the afternoon.

“I want to hug you one last time and I want to feel the calluses on your hands . . . I want you to come back to me mom. I miss you more than words can explain,” she wrote. “My heart will forever be broken.”

On July 2, she tagged her mom in a Facebook post, having celebrated her 23rd birthday at her mother’s grave.

Standing at the mural, Addy and her boyfriend’s mom, Sue Ellen Vera, told me more about that birthday celebration. How it came about. How Addy felt her mother was with her.

It was a birthday tradition to have lunch with her mom.

On this birthday, Addy bought Wendy’s chicken nuggets and headed to the cemetery. She had planned to sit on a towel at her mother’s grave, but once there, she was met with a surprise.

A “Happy Birthday” sign. Balloons. Cake. Gifts. Photos of her with her mom.

Homemade posters featured motherly messages.

“Don’t worry about your chicken. It’s perfect,” a reference to how Addy often asked her mom for cooking advice.

“Promise to talk to me everyday at 4:30 and I promise I’ll listen,” an acknowledgment of Addy’s daily afternoon phone call with her mom.

There were letters to guide her with each step.

“Drink with me,” because her mom was the life of every party.

There was a bottle of wine — one glass with Addy’s name and another labeled “Mom.”

“Please sit on my couch with Kane,” who was Mireles’ beloved dog.

“There’s CrossFit in Heaven. I’m keeping my calluses rough, just for you.”

“Keep living for both of us and continue to make me proud like you always have. Happy Birthday, Princess.”

Vera, who planned the picnic, prayed for Mireles to guide her, saying, “Tell us what to write. Tell us what to do.”

Addy also had prayed to her mother.

“The day before, I was talking to her, telling her, ‘Please be with me, please show your presence on my birthday. I want to feel you,’” Addy said. “It’s like she told them exactly what to do. It was perfect.”

Addy often writes and “talks” to her mom.

“Mom, I miss you everyday, especially today,” Addy wrote on Facebook on her birthday. “This pain will never end, but it brings me peace knowing you are everywhere I go. You are home. I will live every day of my life for you. Momma, thank you for shining extra bright for me today. See you when I see you, I miss you Momma.”

On ExpressNews.com: Preyor-Johnson: In Uvalde, a stepgrandfather grieves

Uvalde’s unrelenting grief was palpable on Sunday in the shadow of the beautiful mural.

I told Addy and Ruben that I had just come from the contentious Texas House committee meeting. I mentioned the damning report and the upcoming Uvalde school board meeting, which proved to be as combative as expected. They nodded, blankly. They were clear — they only wanted to talk about Mireles and the mural.

I told them that I couldn’t imagine something like this happening in my childhood small town of Mathis or to my loved ones.

“We take it a day at a time, you know? It’s all we can do,” Ruben said.

MAS Cultura founder Monica Maldonado holds up a signed thank you card she received from Eva Mireles’ family members as they visited the site where her mural is being painted on the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building in Uvalde.

Addy has said she never imagined her mom’s beautiful face would be seen by so many people — “for the wrong reason.”

But we remember her, and honor her, for the right reasons. Eva Mireles’ name, her smiling face and open arms, her spirit and love, will endure — in this mural, and beyond.

Healing isn’t possible for Mireles’ family, or any of the other families. These murals won’t take away their pain. But they will be a reminder of how the beloved victims — who represented all that was right in our world — lived their lives.

Due to incorrect information received from the Uvalde mural project’s founder, this column has been updated to correct errors. George Meza, an art collector, is not a Cheech Marin Center board member. Also, it took several weeks to raise the first $15,000 of the GoFundMe campaign.

Nancy M. Preyor-Johnson is an award-winning journalist and former teacher. She holds a master's degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies. A native of the South Texas town of Mathis, she has a bachelor's degree in communications from Texas A&M University-Kingsville.