HOUSTON – Hundreds of people went to a memorial service for four siblings who drowned along with their great-grandparents during the Hurricane Harvey floods.
Devy, 16; Dominic, 14; Xavier, 8; and Daisy, 6; will be buried Tuesday morning.
"They were all very close," said Blanca Saldivar, the children's mother.
Family and friends, including many of the children's Pasadena Independent School District classmates packed Principe de Paz Pentecostal Church on Monday night.
"They really have shown their heart, their heart, for my kids," said the children's father, Jason Saldivar.
The children and their great-grandparents, Manuel and Belia Saldivar, drowned in a van Aug. 27 as they tried to escape the rising floodwaters.
They were swept away after crossing a flooded bridge over Greens Bayou in east Houston.
The children's great-uncle, Sammy Saldivar, was driving and managed to escape the van, surviving by clinging to a tree branch.
On Monday night, the heartbroken parents shared memories of their four children.
On Devy: "She was a sunflower. She loved sunflowers. Real bubbly. She was my heart."
On Dominic: "He was the man of many questions. He always asked one more question. He wanted to know everything."
On Xavier: "He was the sweetest boy. Didn't want conflict. Just wanted everybody to get along."
On Daisy: "She was the baby of the family. She was a big sunshine. Everywhere she would walk in, she would just brighten up the room."
The parents said they take some comfort in knowing that their children were taken together, saying they wouldn't want to be apart.
"God was ready for all of them so he got them all together," Jason Saldivar said.
Funeral services for the great-grandparents were held Saturday.
