LOGANSPORT — Members of the Logansport Art Association and those who knew Corporal Humberto Sanchezare honoring him with murals in the city.
The first mural was completed this week at the west side McDonald's, located at 611 West Market Street.
“As a community we’ve been trying to come to grips with his loss and it’s a tragic loss," Jane Williams, president of the Logansport Art Association, said.
IMAGES: Remembering Cpl. Humberto Sanchez
Sanchez worked at the McDonald's location in high school, and the restaurant's current owners approached the Association about painting a mural on the windows.
"[The owners] really wanted to try and reach out and let the family know that they were thinking of him and that the crew had been talking about him," Jane said. "It was just another piece of how the community has discussed this and worried about this family and just coming together.”
Jane, her daughter Ali Williams, and a team that included people with military connections got together to sketch the mural with the goal of showing who Sanchez was behind the uniform.
"We just started putting together all of these images that we had behind the uniform together to kind of just remember our hero in all facets and honor his life and maybe help the family and their hearts and all of our hearts during this," Jane said. "Our town comes together when there's times of need."
"[He was] a class clown for sure. He was always making everyone laugh," Ali, a classmate of Sanchez's, said. "He was just so funny and so free-spirited."
Jane was Sanchez's elementary school art teacher and remembers Sanchez as a sweet, shy little boy who grew up and played soccer and was on the high school homecoming court.
MORE: Mother, community remember Cpl. Humberto Sanchez
"There were so many times before we were fully done with all the detail work or adding the words or whatever it was that we were doing and we all just took a step back and cried a little bit because it was coming together so beautifully," Ali said. "We just wanted to honor him and his legacy and all that he was here and all that he was overseas."
The group has plans to paint two more murals, including one on the east side McDonald's.
"It's just a work of heart. There's no better way to describe it. It's completely and entirely from our hearts to show what he was and we appreciate him and what he did," Ali said.
