Antonio Basco Invites Strangers to Wife Margie Reckard's Funeral after Her Death in the El Paso Shooting

A widower who lost his wife to the recent El Paso mass shooting took to social media to plead with people to attend her service and funeral. The response to his plea has been overwhelming.

On Tuesday, the Perches Funeral Home took to Facebook sharing that a widower named Tony Basco was asking people to attend his wife’s service on Friday. Margie Reckard, 63, was one of 22 people who were killed during a mass shooting at the El Paso Walmart on August 3.

Basco made his plea because he was afraid that he would be the only attendee at her funeral. The post shared by the funeral home revealed that the widower didn’t have any family.

STRANGERS ANSWER BASCO'S CALL

In a show of unity, humanity, and utter kindness 300 people called into the funeral home wanting to attend the visitation and funeral service of Reckard. The calls came through within a day of the post going up.

Over 2,300 people also commented on the post. The unexpected reaction from Basco’s community led the funeral home to move the services to a bigger venue.

WHERE AND WHEN THE SERVICE WILL BE HELD

Initially, the funeral was to be held at the La Paz Faith Center that could seat 200 people but it was moved to a venue that could seat up to 500 people. A prayer service would be held on Friday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The funeral will be the following day at 9:00 a.m. at the Restlawn Cemetery. The funeral homes director Harrison Johnson said: “The response has been overwhelming.”

SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE ATTENDING

Johnson added:

“I’ve never seen anything like this — the community showing support and love for somebody they don’t even know.”

One of the people who will be attending is Anthony Tomasheski the CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of El Paso. Tomasheski shared that he just couldn’t fathom the idea of Basco “sitting alone” at his wife’s service.

Reckard was said to have only a few family members but none in the El Paso area, but Tomasheski felt that she had an abundance of them in the form of the residents of El Paso. Basco and his wife had been married for more than 22 years.

THE MANY YEARS BASCO SHARED WITH HIS WIFE

She had three children from a previous relationship, but the couple had none together. Reports state that the pair were inseparable for more than 20 years.

Basco shared:

“When we first met, that feeling came to each one of us, to each other, and we’ve been together ever since. We were gonna live together and die together, that was our plan.”

Johnson revealed that the widow still cried about losing his wife. Reckard had done “everything for him,” playing the part of “his business manager, his confidant, and his friend.”

HOW RECKARD DIED

Basco’s wife died after being shot by a gunman when she visited Walmart to do some shopping. Twenty-four people were injured and the widower confessed to Johnson that he wished he had been with his wife that fateful day.

On the funeral home’s website, a number of people from across the nation have shown support to Basco by posting tributes.

THE WIDOWER OPENS UP ABOUT HIS WIFE

Basco described his wife as “an angel” when they met and eternally. He shared that her passing had made him realize that she was the strong one.

The widower sorrowfully added that he was going to miss her “a lot.”