Gabriel Gutierrez, who graduated from Adams City High School in 2019, passed away last week. Gutierrez was part of the school’s Marine Corps Junior ROTC program.
The one common thread among his friends was his sense of humor.
“I couldn’t believe it when they told me. You were always such a kind a genuine friend to me and always made me laugh,” said Monique Snow on Facebook.
“You’re an amazing person,” said April Saucedo on Facebook. “Thank you for the smiles and laughs you provided.”
“Before this dreadful day, I’ve reflected on my high-school years, and there is a handful of people who will never fade in my memory within those years. You are one,” said Estavan Roman Gonzales by way of Facebook.
One of Gutierrez’s wrestling teammates said learning the news “just didn’t feel real.”
“Why would God take someone so amazing, so full of joy, away from us?” asked Gerardo Caldera. “Gabe would always be cracking jokes every day, especially during wrestling his senior year. At all the tournaments, he’d get everyone laughing early in the morning. He was the guy you could depend on.”
Counselors at Adams City and Lester Arnold high schools were available to speak with students who felt they needed support. Those who aren’t attending either school but still need some help can call the Colorado Crisis Hotline at 1-844-493-8255.
“Gabriel was a really good guy. I can’t believe he’s passed,” said former teammate Josh Deaguero. “I talked to him like a month before graduation. He was a really nice guy.”
“Gabe would always, and I mean always, have a smile on his face early in the morning, during lunch, during a hard practice and a hard dual. He’d always have a smile and, after a hard practice when we’d come together he’d crack another joke,” Caldera said. “Gabe was just an amazing person. Just finding out we lost a teammate, a friend, a brother, a role model, a young soul hurts everyone. But he’s in a better place watching down on us.”