STOCKTON, Calif. — A natural father, a caring friend and a talented cook are just some of the words people use to describe army veteran Carlos Castaneda.
To his wife, Christina, he was all that and much more.
"Every single person that saw him, no matter what else they saw and what else they said, they would say he is a good dad," said Christina Sunday fighting tears while holding one of their three young children. "He was such a celebrator of life."
Ever since the crash that took his life Wednesday, things have been amiss in the family's Stockton home, decorated with stockings, lights and a Christmas tree.
"It has been the longest and shortest-- I don't even know how many days it's been-- of my entire life," said Christina. "It has been the absolute most horrible time of my entire life."
The father of three was killed Wednesday when a tire detached from a concrete pumping trailer and crossed the guardrail of southbound Interstate 5 near Highway 12 in San Joaquin County, landing on the front of the family's Toyota Sienna.
"He was driving me to my holiday party that night because he wanted me to be safe. He didn't have to do that," said Christina. "That was two hours out of his night that he could have been spending doing anything else, but no, it didn't matter because what he thought of first was other people's needs."
With bruises still on her face, what happened Wednesday is still fresh for Christina, who works in the trauma department at a local hospital, but missing her husband of seven years has been the most unbearable part.
"I already see the other side of the bed, it's empty... his clothes are there, no one to wear them," said Christina. "Sometimes all you need is someone to just allow a space for your grief because it's so big, it's so much and one human can not handle it. I can not handle it on my own. I need my whole community of people."
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds for Carlos' funeral and to support Christina and their kids.
For Christina, part of supporting her kids going forward will mean sharing photos and telling nostalgic memories of their father.
"He is a really good dad and I believe that he knew that and I'm going to make sure the boys continue to grow up knowing that for their entire lives," said Christina. "Everyone was his friend, his buddy. He was really in tune with people's needs and making them just feel at home and feel wanted and he was so selfless."
The tragedy so close to the holidays left Christina with not just grief, but also a lifelong message.
"Just hold your loved ones really close tonight, just hug them for a long time," said Christina. "I know life is busy, I know you want to get everything done, but just hold them and hug them. Tell them you love them because as I have found out, you just don't know when all of a sudden, it's the last time."
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