Honoring Erin and Anthony: Valley Center community remembers teacher, teen son killed in crash

VALLEY CENTER, Kan. (KWCH) - It’s a pair of losses that heavily hit many in the Valley Center community: A teacher in the school district and her teenage son died in a crash Saturday afternoon on the Kansas Turnpike near Emporia.

The community gathered Sunday night for a vigil for the mother and son, as well as members of the family who are recovering from injuries in the crash. Erin Moreno, a third-grade teacher at Valley Center’s West Elementary, and 17-year-old Anthony Barrera died Saturday. Four others in the family were hurt.

The Valley Center school district had counselors available for students and staff on Monday. Moreno was preparing for a new year at West Elementary as Barrera was looking to start his senior year in a few weeks. The district sad if students and staff weren’t able to come the district office on Monday, they can request an appointment with a counselor.

A GoFundMe, created on behalf of the family is collecting donations to support the Moreno family.

Friends and classmates say there will be a noticeable absence when this year’s senior class returns to Valley Center High School. Barrera’s friend, Brody Saner said classmates are honoring the 17-year-old with posts on social media and sharing the message, “Long live Anthony.”

“I always spent a lot of the lunch time with him. I would always wait in the lunch line with him, we would always talk there,” Saner said of his school time with Barrera. “The classes we had together, me and him would always sit close by and share little conversations, little laughs.”

Saner said he’ll especially miss his friend’s humor.

“I never noticed anybody ever being upset or anybody being in a bad mood. Everybody was always just smiling, someone’s always laughing,” he said of classes with Barrera. “Typically it was because of something [Anthony] said.”

Saner is among many also remembering Moreno and what she meant to her students, her school, the district and the community.

“She was helping the community. She was in there for the youth especially here in this community,’ Saner said. “It’s really rough seeing someone like that go.”

Saner said the losses are bringing the community together as grief turns to action, looking to support the family with members recovering from injuries suffered in Saturday’s crash.

A childhood friend of Moreno’s, Kari Fox, remembered going to Moreno’s house after school or for slumber parties growing up. Fox said they enjoyed a lot of activities together and she’ll remember her friend as someone who was always smiling and happy.