Body of Ferndale Flood Victim Returns to Mexico While Friends Put Up Memorial Near Death Site
Benito Nuñez-Rodriguez (lower left) with his firefighting unit. [Photo used with permission from the North Coast Journal]
His anxious wife, Trina Nuñez-Rodriguez, heard him calling for help about seven p.m. She, her son, and a neighbor took a tractor into the flooded pasture land to rescue Benito. But the tractor stalled in the high water and the rescuers lost sought of the 35-year-old man.
Benito Nuñez-Rodriguez [Photo provided by a family member]
Jennifer Machado, who runs a Ferndale Neighborhood Watch page, had listened to the attempted rescue on the scanner along with many others in her community. There was a good chance in this small town that she might know the family struggling through flood waters to find their missing husband and father which added and extra level of horror to what she was hearing.
Not able to physically help, Jennifer Machado pitched the only way she could think of. She started a GoFundMe page for the family. “I started it before we knew who it was,” she explained. “The community really pitched in. I’ve gotten donations from Fortuna. I got some business owners. The majority from Ferndale but there was others from other areas.”
The fund reached $6118 as of March 11.
She intended to use the money to help the family, she told us, but the widow wants the money to go towards helping send the body of Benito Nuñez-Rodriguez to his family in Mexico to be buried there.
“His widow has moved out of state,” Machado said. “I’m in touch with her…The family moved up here in August. They just didn’t know a lot of people… .”
In the end, not quite enough money was raised so a family friend pitched in to close the gap so Benito’s wife’s wishes could be followed. Machado said, “[His wife] wants him to go home….”
Yesterday, those who knew him gathered near where his body was found for a memorial service and they allowed our photographer to be there.
Oscar Dominguez holds a memorial cross for Benito Nunez-Rodriguez who drowned in the recent flooding in Ferndale. Friends and community members came to pay their respects Sunday and place the memorial cross near where Nunez-Rodriguez’s body was found. [This and all the following photos are by Mark McKenna]
Oscar Dominguez holds the cross while Aurelio Baltazr uses a drill to secure it to a fence post.
Carleigh Arnold, center left, hugs Michelle Rodriguez, who was a close friend of Benito Nunez-Rodriguez.
Carleigh Arnold holds sunflower seeds which were handed out by Michelle Rodriguez who said the were Benito Nunez-Rodriguez’s favorite flower.
Oscar Dominguez places flowers in a can at the base of the post where the cross was hung.
Joe Fox plants some sunflower seeds near the cross.
Oscar Dominguez lights a candle during the memorial for his friend Benito Nunez-Rodriguez.
Michelle Rodriguez helps Louis Lucier, 9, light a candle to place at the spot where the cross was fixed to a fence post.
Carleigh Arnold, third from left, sung “Amazing Grace” during the vigil.
Candles and flowers were placed at the base of the fence post where the cross was hung.
Oscar Dominguez knelt and prayed at the cross placed for his friend Benito Nunez-Rodriguez.
Iridian Casarez and the North Coast Journal contributed to this report.
Earlier Chapters:
- Emergency Personnel Are Rushing to a Report of Multiple People Stuck on Tractor in Waters Near Fernbridge; One in the Water Downstream
- One Dead After Attempted Civilian Rescue by Tractor Failed
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RIP. Condolences to family and friends.
RIP. A lot of us were glued to the scanner feed that night, that was rough. Again, thanks to the first responders, tough conditions.
So sorry for the loss to the family and community!!!
RIP
Were he and his family here legally? No mention if this guy was a criminal alien or not. If so, raising money for illegals now?? The Mexicans always send their money out of the country. That is what Western Union and Moneygram are for, right? No assimilation here.
This is not journalism but advocacy.
I don’t know whether they were here illegally or not. I didn’t ask officials. A human being died trying to make sure milk was on America’s tables and his family wants him shipped back to them. That’s all I needed to know.
Thank you
Bless you!
Yes, a family lost a husband and father.
Thank you!
Amen!!
I miss him.he was a very close friend.
I am so sorry for the loss of your friend.
Why do people act like this? Let the man rest.
When someone hits every button in the stereotyping, it has to be considered whether they are simply a troll looking to stir up comments. Someone calling themselves Mr. Right and saying egregiously nasty targeted comments, reads like that may be the case.
WTF difference does it make if the man was “legal” or not??? He’s DEAD, Expletive deleted!!! I’ll save you the trouble Kym of deleting what I might call this “individual”!!!
You most likely wouldn’t have lasted 2 days in this mans shoes!
No wonder your wife left you.
You are an absolute terrible person.
Yes they were here legally. [edit]They did send money to support his parents. They also paid taxes and never once collected cash from the government. How about you keep your racist coments to yourself. Let the family grieve.
Mr. Right. You sir are a damn poor excuse of a human being. Look long and hard at the pictures. How can you make such a nasty comment about a man that died trying to reach his family? Please go back under your rock!
Mr. Wrong.. so ultra Wrong.. well said Kym.. Mr.Wrong.. please seek mental help..
Change username to Mr. Wrong. It suits you.
Our shared humanity supersedes imaginary nationalistic boundaries.
Mr. Right, Are you willing to milk cows for the pay that he received? Yep, that’s what I thought.
🕯RIP🕊
Amen.
Remember how viciously commoners responded to the assumption that this man was not in the country legally?
When we allowed Farmers to take advantage of the labor of the legal immigrants, employment conditions deteriorate. We end up having people living in old farm houses on floodplains and shit like this happens.
you can plant all the sunflowers in the world but if you really want to show that you care about these people then you need to stop Farmers from hiring illegal immigrants. And we need easier paths toward immigration.
American farmers have been hiring many hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, so-called “guest-workers,” and other new immigrant workers for more than a century now… The main reasons are: 1) the work is dirty, difficult, dangerous, and mainly seasonal; 2) the feds have never included farm work as covered by minimum wage or overtime pay; 3) unions have been unable to organize workers over the medium- to long-term; and, 4) ag products are poorly remunerated at the farm-gate (middle-men and retailers take most of the profit; look at what’s currently happening to cannabis under “legalization”!). New immigrants will continue to be the bulk of farmworkers unless all of these variables are ameliorated. I have a half dzn published articles on the topic, available at my uni webpage as free pdf downloads, fyi… https://sites.google.com/a/humboldt.edu/humboldt-state-university-department-of-anthropology/
THIS RIGHT HERE ^^^
Blessings to this family❤️
Many blessings to these good and brave people. We will not forget you.
Wow… people question if racism is a thing but you can never, EVER see an article written about ANYONE with a Latino name without someone asking their immigration status. It’s none of your damn business. Racist ass shit. Shame on your ugly self.
Que descansa en paz.
Feel really bad about this tragedy. May they find peace and comfort in their faith. Only wish they had known the dangers of the overflowing Eel River. Many people have lost their lives as us older residents know.
His boss should have made sure everyone was safe. It’s despicable it wasn’t done.
It’s pretty despicable to accuse an employer based on no information at all. Would you also close hospitals, veterinary clinics and fire and police stations because an employee might get caught up in a disaster on their way home? Every time there is a lot of rain?
No information at all?
There was a warning of imminent flooding, including notice to take precautions with regard to livestock. That is one piece of information. There is a man who drowned in those flood waters while tending another man’s cattle. That is a second piece of information.
Does two plus two still equal four?
Yep. Should have been notified by the boss of the option to drive the cattle to higher ground as all of low lying Ferndale was warned to do so. Especially as the family was immigrant and maybe not inclined to listen to news in English. Completely irresponsible on the part of the boss. Uncaring. Selfish.
A beautiful example of a community coming together to honor a person.
Yes….. ditto. He looks like a nice, hard-working contributor to society. What a loss. Glad Ferndale steps up!
For the information to that stupid person asking if my cuzen was illegally here…to let u now he became a u.s resident and he was never in trouble with the law but if u need something else let me now…
R.I.P. Mr. Nuñez-Rodriguez. My deepest condolences to your loved ones near and far.
The man was a firefighter & a farm worker. Kudos to him!!!
I am very sorry he died. It must be heart breaking for his wife & family. Mr Nunez-Rodriguez must have been a fine man to have all those folks memorialize him.
As for Mr Right, you’d be more honest if you described yourself as Mr Nazi.
I did not know this man was a firefighter. A tragedy regardless, but this news saddens me even more. RIP brother.
Deepest condolences to the family! So sad! 🌻
His legal Status was not even a concern when we started this GoFundMe page (and still isn’t). A man lost his life in a tragic accident trying to get to His family. That’s all that matters. It’s hard enough when someone dies unexpectedly without the added stress of trying to figure out how to pay for it.
Thank you, Kym, for your remarks. It is beyond disgusting that someone would even question his legal status. He was obviously a hard worker, a family man, and doing work a lot of people would not do. I lived in an area where farmers and crops depended upon Mexican workers. They are, for the most part, peaceful and hard-working people who love their families. You can thank them that your head of lettuce did not cost you $10.00. I am so over the division over color and race in this country. Try getting spoiled Americans to do this work! For the life of me, I can’t understand why, in a tragedy of this type, the only question someone has is whether the victim was an illegal. Get over yourself and the hatred based on lies that your President spews, for Christ’s sake!
Deepest condolences to the family and friends
Thank you, Kym & Mark, for posting a story & photos of a loving family, their respect for others’ wishes, their belief in God, & just tenderness within such sadness from this tragedy. He must have lived for others to have been a volunteer fireman & for attempting to get to his family & his own safety in his last moments. You provided a glimpse into a working man’s life resulting in a lump in my throat. The vision I have when I close my eyes is of him raising his arms in peaceful surrender. His loved ones will be on my mind & in my prayers. The community rises to show their heartfelt condolences, again. 🙏🙏🙏