Man Designs and Donates 19 Custom Caskets for the Children Killed in the Uvalde School Shooting

For several days straight, custom casket-maker Trey Ganem, his son, Billy and a team of volunteers, have worked tirelessly to craft 19 beautiful caskets.

18 children’s caskets. One adult casket. Each one unique. Each one a heartbreaking yet beautiful tribute to the little lives lost in the May 24th Robb Elementary school shooting.

For 10-year-old Eliahna Torres, this was TikTok. And Llamas. For other children, it was certain animals, certain sports teams, certain colours that represented who they were and what they loved.

19 custom caskets for 19 beautiful souls

Trey Ganem, who owns Soulshine Industries designs custom caskets out of his workshop in Edna, Texas, about four hours away from Uvalde.

He was contacted to help design caskets for the victims and immediately offered his services, paid for by donations. Normally customised caskets will cost between $3,400 and $3,800.

Every single request has been different and memorable.

There was one that wanted dinosaurs, with flashlights, holding a pickle,” Trey said.

Trey and his son, Billy usually work alone but for this heartbreaking job, as many as a dozen people volunteered to help paint, sand, and apply vinyl to the child-size caskets.

Very little sleep

There have been a few speed bumps along the way, especially in ordering the child-sized caskets which can be hard to find.

But Trey and his team made it work, ordering the caskets from a manufacturer in Georgia (a 26-hour drive away). The manufacturer worked for 20 hours straight to get the coffins made before delivering them to Trey.

Once the caskets were delivered to Trey, he and his team barely slept, working hour after hour to ensure every child’s casket is perfect.

All in all, Trey and his crew have made 19 caskets for the Uvalde victims. 18 of the 19 children and one adult.

It has been an extremely emotional roller coaster for me,” Ganem said during a phone interview to Buzzfeed. “I don’t even know if you can hear my voice. I haven’t hollered at all, but I’m losing my voice, for whatever reason.”

Funeral masses at Sacred Heart Catholic Church begin Tuesday with funerals booked for the victims until 13 June. No company is charging the families for these services.

Deadliest school shooting in Texas history

It’s been over a week since we heard the news that 19 beautiful children and two dedicated teachers had lost their lives. This is something that no one will ever forget, especially those who wake up every morning without their children or mum.

We won’t mention the name of the heartless human who did this because he doesn’t deserve to have his name mentioned. But we will share the 21 victims of Texas’ deadliest school shooting – mostly 9 and 10 years of age, who aspired to be TikTokkers, lawyers, sporting stars and who be greatly missed.

Irma Garcia, 48, was a dedicated teacher, a mum of four and a loving wife. Her husband, Joe, died of a heart attack two days after the shooting.

Eva Mireles, 44, was a loving mother and teacher who enjoyed CrossFit, cooking and karoake.

Makenna Lee Elrod, 10, could light up a room with her big heart and beautiful smile.

Layla Salazar, 11, loved to swim, dance and run.

Maranda Mathis, 11, was described as smart, spunky and loved unicorns.

Nevaeh Bravo, 10, will be dearly missed by her siblings.

Jose Manuel Flores Jr, 10, was his mother’s shadow and an amazing big brother to his infant baby brother.

Xavier Lopez, 10, loved a good TikTok dance with his mum.

Tess Marie Mata, 10, loved the Nickelodeon show “Victorious”, the Houston Astros and the colour purple.

Rojella Torres, 10, was a big fan of Batman, football and Yoda.

Eliahna “Ellie” Amyah Garcia, 9, wanted to be a cheerleader and was counting down the days until her quinceañera.

Eliahna A. Torres, 10, wore number 4 on her softball team and recently made the all-stars team.

Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10, was a bright student who earned her place on the honour’s roll.

Jackie Cazares, 9, recently received her First Communion and would go out of her way to help others.

Uziyah Garcia, was described as the sweetest boy who loved football.

Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10, started every morning by making his granddad a pot of coffee.

Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, 10, whose favourite colour was green, loved sewing and photography.

Jaliah Nicole Silguero, 10, loved TikTok and the outdoors. On the day of the shooting, she told her parents she didn’t want to go to school that day.

Amerie Jo Garza, 10, attempted to dial 911 when the gunman shot her. She loved vanilla bean frappe and Chick-fil-A.

Alexandria “Lexi” Aniyah Rubio, 10, was a great student and athlete and wanted to be a lawyer when she grew up.

Alithia Ramirez, 10, loved to draw and play soccer.

Now, each of these children will be buried in a casket that showcases the things they loved the most. Soccer. Unicorns. Llamas. Football. Yoda. Pokemon. The Toronto Blue Jays. The Houston Astros.

I take away something from every experience with a family because when they’re explaining stuff about their child, they light up,” Trey Ganem said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, by the way, he loved this,’ you know?”

What a generous way to keep the spirits of these victims alive in their final resting places. It’s commitment and generosity like this that prove that there is light in this dark world.