A hole in their hearts

Holiday turns tragic for family who lost beloved ‘Opa’

When Matthew Robinson, his wife and four children gather around the tree on Christmas morning, gifts will be opened, a holiday meal will be prepared and memories will be shared.

But one thing will be missing — their beloved “Opa,” who was a father-in-law, a father and a grandfather to the family.

Ralph Reynolds, 60, of Boerne, died Tuesday in a two-vehicle collision on San Antonio’s far West Side. He was taking an Uber ride-hail vehicle to the San Antonio International Airport after dropping off his personal car at a mechanic’s shop.

“I can’t imagine how this is going to look down the line.”

— Angela Robinson

The GoFundMe page link is https://gofund.me/db32218f5.

The family is still waiting for details on the crash at Culebra and Ingram roads while having to make the toughest calls they’ve ever encountered — all against the backdrop of what is normally the most joyful time of year.

This weekend would have been when the family came together to go shopping and put ornaments on the tree, said Reynolds’ daughter, Angela Robinson.

“It was his favorite time of the year, shopping for the kids and watching them open presents. He enjoyed that so much,” she said.

The Robinsons are parents to Benjamin, 11, Evelyn, 7, Milo, 2, and Alden, 1.

Instead, the Robinsons will be dealing with lawyers about potential legal action and starting the process of working through the estate.

“We’re going to need to engage lawyers to navigate this,” said Matthew Robinson, Angela’s husband. “All at Christmas time.”

He added the finances involved with his fatherin- law’s death “are an unwelcome surprise at Christmas time.”

A GoFundMe page has been established to help the family deal with funeral arrangements and Christmas needs.

Robinson remembers Reynolds as “a very driven family man. It’s like everything he was doing is for the family. Because he traveled so much, he would make up for that when he got back, with family-focused activities.”

Reynolds worked as a construction manager for Burlington, traveling around the country Tuesday through Thursday, making him a “regular at the airport,” Robinson said.

Angela Robinson said her father was “the stereotypical dad. He was vigilant and thoughtful, and helpful.”

But he also took on the role of “motherhood,” the daughter added.

“ He was also like the stereotypical mom, because he raised my sister and I, both,” she said with a laugh. “For years, and I still did, I’d get him Father’s Day and Mother’s Day cards.”

Her husband remembers Reynolds as a collector of sarcastic T-shirts, “every witty or sarcastic graphic T-shirt you could think of.” Reynolds was, in essence, the “third parent” for the family.

“He helped us at bedtime, and with getting the kids to the bus. He took them to swim class once a week,” Matthew Robinson said. “He was the third parent, basically.”

Angela Robinson said she is struggling to move beyond the tears and the grief.

“I can’t imagine how this is going to look down the line,” she said.

The GoFundMe page link is https://gofund.me/ db32218f5.