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ENOCH, Iron County — Love stories usually don't have this kind of ending.
“In her obituary, I put ‘One True Love,'" said Albert Alvarado, speaking about his late wife, Heather, "because that’s all we ever said."
Funeral services were held Friday for Heather Alvarado, 35, of Cedar City, one of the victims of the Las Vegas shootings on Oct. 1.
Albert and Heather Alvarado had been married for 15 years, but they had known each other a lot longer.
“I actually knew her when we were 13,” Albert Alvarado said. “She was friends with my cousin, and I told my cousin … ‘I’m going to be the last person to be with her. We’re going to stay together.'"
The toughest part about his wife's death, Albert Alvarado said, was explaining to their children — ages 14, 9 and 4 — what happened to their mother that night in Las Vegas.
"When we found out, I just told them, ‘Mom is gone,'" he said. "And they cried, and it was hard."
Family and friends from the Cedar City and Enoch communities gathered for Heather Alvarado's funeral, many of them there to say goodbye.
“She always went out of her way to help everybody, literally just saw the good in everybody,” Albert Alvarado said.
But for as many friends as his wife had, family was everything to her, Alvarado said.
Heather Alvarado was always the center of attention, her family said, smiling, laughing and enjoying being with her family.
“We did a lot of stuff together," said Michael Warino, Heather Alvarado's brother. "I mean, she’s my baby sister.”
Warino went on plenty of vacations with his sister and her family, he said. Making memories as a family was important to her, whether it be a trip to the beach in Cancun or to get ice cream at the local Walmart.
Warino said he can still hear his sister's laugh, and he can't imagine never seeing her smile again.
"You've got to move forward, but everything my plans were, everything involved her,” said Warino, saying they were best friends as well as siblings. “Albert and the kids. So how I move forward is being there for my sister’s family.
“A lot of times, me and Albert, we got good ideas about stuff, but Heather would have to correct us because sometimes our ideas weren’t very good,” he said.
It’s those precious moments, the joking around and the family get-togethers, that her family says they'll miss the most.
"Her laugh. I love her laugh. It's my sister," Warino said.
The family also promises to make sure her children continue to make memories.
“She just did everything for them,” her husband said. “Everything was about the kids and our family.”
A GoFundMe account* has been set up to help the Alvarado family with expenses during the holiday months and for years to come.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
