Family, community mourn Highland Park parade shooting victim Nicolas Toledo

Blue, white and silver balloons adorned the entrance Friday afternoon at Iglesia Evangelical Bautista Church in Waukegan as family members of Nicolas Toledo went in to say goodbye.

His body will be transported to Mexico, where he will be buried.

Toledo, 78, was one of seven people killed Monday during the Highland Park parade shooting. He is survived by his eight children, more than 20 grandchildren and several great grandchildren, his family said.

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Alejo Toledo — Toledo’s son, grazed by a bullet at the parade — told reporters he wants his father to be remembered for the examples he set for his kids: working hard, focusing on family and always making sure they “got ahead.”

Alejo and his brother Angel spoke with reporters outside the service; Deerfield Police Commander Juan Mazariegos served as interpreter.

Alejo explained his father had gone back and forth between the Chicago area and Mexico many times over the years. After retiring two months ago, he returned to Highland Park again to be close to relatives, as many had settled in the area.

Alejo and Angel said their final moments with their father, enjoying the parade and the music before the shooting, were “most precious.”

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

The six-hour service was closed to reporters until the last hour. Toledo’s great-grand- nephew, Damian Toledo, said the memorial had been “heavy” with “lots of tears.”

“You can tell everyone really loved him,” said Damian, 21.

By the final hour, more than 330 people filled the seats of the church, prompting Pastor Jessy Padilla to apologize for the lack of space.

Many family members wore shirts with pictures of Toledo and an inscription of Psalms 23:1, with some adding an orange ribbon, a symbol commonly used to remember victims of gun violence.

Shortly before the pastor began speaking, Toledo’s family took the stage to lead attendees in singing the Spanish hymn “Más Allá del Sol” (“Beyond the Sun”).

“No one was prepared to be here last week,” Padilla said in his opening remarks. “But we opened our agendas and we opened our hearts, and we’re here.”

Zack Miller/Sun-Times

Padilla then went on to thank a specific portion of those who at the memorial service: the Waukegan community.

Gloria Bazea, a 25-year Waukegan resident, was just one of many attendees who lived nearby but had no connection to the family. She said she felt she “owed it to the community” to be at the memorial service.

“I feel for the family,” Bazea said. “It could happen to any of us.”

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering also stopped by the service, the last of three held Friday for victims of the parade shooting.

Toward the end of his opening remarks, Padilla once again addressed both Toledo’s family and those with no connection to Toledo, finding hope in that unity.

“Not only through a tragedy, but to get better as a community, we need each other,” Padilla said. “I hope this is going to spark something in all of us … so we can make our communities better.”