💚🕊️ He Was Supposed to Turn 7: Texas School Honors Beloved “Abelito” After Tragic Loss

Tomorrow, a Texas family will gather to say goodbye to a little boy who should have been preparing for his seventh birthday.

Instead of celebrating with cake, laughter, and presents, Abel Balderas’s family is preparing for a farewell no parent or grandparent should ever have to face. 💔

Abel, lovingly known as “Abelito,” pᴀssed away on August 5 following a tragic vehicle accident in Krum, Texas. His funeral is scheduled for Monday, just four days before the birthday his family had expected to celebrate.

On August 14, Abel was supposed to turn seven.

Now, his elementary school is asking students, teachers, and members of the school community to wear green—one of Abel’s favorite colors—in his memory.

For two years, Abel attended Dixie Hansel Elementary, where school staff say his smile became part of the daily rhythm of the hallways.

“He truly brightened our hallways,” the school shared.

Abel was preparing to enter second grade. His obituary described him as goofy and funny, quick to forgive, deeply loving, kind, and wise beyond his years.

He loved the water and enjoyed swimming and spending time at the lake with his family. He especially loved jumping from the boat and sharing those moments with the people closest to him.

But perhaps one of the qualities people will remember most was his ability to make others laugh. 💚

His family had already celebrated his upcoming birthday with friends at an early party several weeks before his pᴀssing.

Those memories now carry a meaning no one could have anticipated.

As Abel’s parents, Alyssa and Adan, prepare to gather with family and friends for his visitation and funeral, their loved ones are surrounding them with support.

Abel’s grandmother has also shared a deeply emotional reflection about the unique grief that comes with losing a grandchild.

“No one tells you how to grieve a grandchild,” she wrote.

“You don’t only grieve the little boy you loved. You grieve the birthdays that were supposed to come, the teenager you were supposed to meet, the man he was supposed to become, and every ordinary moment you thought you still had time for.”

Those final words capture a heartbreaking reality.

Families don’t only remember the moments they shared. They also mourn the countless moments they believed were still waiting ahead—first days of school, birthdays, teenage years, graduations, family trips, and all the ordinary days that make up a lifetime.

For Abel’s grandmother, that love will continue even as she learns to live with his absence.

“I would have loved you through every version of you,” she wrote.

“And I will love you through every version of me that has to live without you.”

“Forever my Abel. Forever Gigi’s boy.” 🕊️

On his seventh birthday, the halls of Dixie Hansel Elementary will look a little different.

Instead of Abel’s familiar smile walking through the doors, his classmates and teachers will wear green to honor his memory.

The color will serve as a simple reminder of a little boy who brought laughter, kindness, and warmth into the lives of so many.

For his family, however, August 14 will always be more than a birthday.

It will be a reminder of the seventh year Abel should have been celebrating.

Please keep Alyssa and Adan, Abel’s grandparents, classmates, teachers, friends, and everyone who loved “Abelito” in your thoughts and prayers. 🙏💚

🕊️ Forever Abelito. Forever loved. Forever Gigi’s boy.