U.S. military veterans on motorcycles with the Patriot Guard escorted one of their fallen brothers to funeral and burial services in Morgan Hill last week.
Services for Richard Villalba took place April 21 in Morgan Hill. The funeral procession was escorted by the Patriot Guard riders from Lima Campagna Johnson Funeral Home on Monterey Road just north of town, to the funeral service at St. Catherine Parish, and then to the cemetery on Spring Avenue.
Villalba served in the Army in the 1990s. His service included combat in the Persian Gulf. He died after a long battle with cancer, according to his brother George Moya, who traveled from Arizona to attend the services.
“I was at the hospital when he passed,” Moya said. “It was a hard thing to watch.”
But he added it was “awesome” to see not only familiar friends and family at the services, but also the veterans on motorcycles who came to escort their fellow soldier to his final resting place.
“Family is the most important thing in life, and when it’s a veteran you need to pay respect all the way around,” Moya said.
Villalba and his spouse Jake Navarette-Villalba are the owners of Salon NV. Moya said their business has “flourished” over the years.
Patriot Guard Riders is a volunteer, nonprofit organization that “ensures dignity and respect at memorial services honoring fallen military heroes, first responders and honorably discharged veterans,” according to their website patriotguard.org. The group consists of mostly U.S. military veterans, who are also motorcyclists.
The April 21 “mission” to escort Villalba’s remains and funeral procession was led by Patriot Guard Ride Captain Mark Zappa, a Gilroy resident.
Morgan Hill resident Kirk Bertolet, also a Patriot Guard Rider, participated in the procession as well.
