Family remembers Seguin High graduate killed in Wilson County crash

Joseph Angel Sanchez Jr. dreamed of getting married, raising a family and helping others through their problems. His relatives are now remembering those hopes and the kindness of the 25-year-old Texas Lutheran University student after a head-on crash in Wilson County that left him fatally injured.

The collision happened shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, on State Highway 123, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Investigators said Sanchez was traveling south in a white Ford Focus when a black Lexus heading north crossed into his lane and struck his car. Both drivers were taken to a hospital, where Sanchez died from his injuries. DPS said the investigation remains open. KSAT could not confirm the other driver's identity or any potential charges.

Speaking with KSAT on Friday, Sanchez's aunt Brittany Fernandez described struggling to accept his death. She had cut his hair and hugged him just two weeks earlier. The two had spent considerable time together growing up, and their last conversation included his plans for the future. Fernandez remembered her nephew as a deeply kind person who wanted a family of his own and opportunities to help people.

Sanchez graduated from Seguin High School in 2019 and was a junior studying psychology at Texas Lutheran University. His family said he wanted to become a counselor. Another aunt, Monica Alejos, said that ambition reflected his concern for other people's difficulties. “He was just always full of life, full of love, full of happiness,” she told KSAT.

Alejos said people had been contacting the family to share memories of Sanchez's generosity and the happiness he brought them. Both aunts wished they could have another moment with him. Alongside those affectionate memories, Alejos expressed anger and heartbreak over the circumstances of the collision, blaming the other driver's choices for her nephew's death.

The aunts also shared messages from Sanchez's parents. His mother, Suzanna, described the lasting pain of losing her son and said she would continue honoring his memory. His father recalled his son's birth on Feb. 15, 2001, expressed pride in his college studies and remembered his kindness and their time together.

Sanchez was the third Texas Lutheran University student lost within days. Student athletes A’Jean “A.J.” Augustine, 20, and Deyreck Dean, 23, died early Nov. 2 in a separate single-vehicle crash on State Highway 46 North in Seguin, according to Seguin police. In a statement to KSAT, the university mourned all three students and the loss felt by their friends, professors and families.

Fernandez said Sanchez was only about two miles from home when the collision happened. As the family grieves, she urged motorists to pay attention, slow their rush and remember that others on the road have loved ones waiting for them.

A memorial for Sanchez is planned for Thursday, Nov. 12, at Texas Lutheran University's Chapel of Abiding Presence.