‘He never knew a stranger.’ Wichita mother remembers son for kindness, infectious smile
The mother of a man who died in a vehicle crash says her son had a personality of his own. Lisa Ornelas of Wichita describes her son, Andrew Ornelas, being different from the rest of the family.
“I don’t know what it was about him. He didn’t get it from me or his dad, but the kid would smile so big. Either he was up to something or he was just happy all the time,” Lisa Ornelas said.
Andrew Ornelas, 29, of Wichita, died in a vehicle accident on March 15, police spokesperson Chad Ditch said in a news release.
Ditch added that the single-vehicle accident happened around 12:58 a.m. near the intersection of 21st and Amidon.
Lisa Ornelas says she last talked to her son the day before he died. The conversation was over some home remodeling work on the exterior for Andrew, who is paraplegic after suffering a serious injury in 2017.
“In 2017, Andrew was shot and paralyzed from the waist down,” Lisa said. “That changed our lives forever; not just mine and our family — but the area we lived in as well. But throughout all that Andrew was really determined to not just to live but to persevere and move on with his life.”
That same perseverance led him to start working out four to five times a week at the gym, Lisa said.
Sabrina Smith, Andrew’s personal trainer of two and a half years, says she has trained multiple clients — but with Andrew it was more personable.
Smith says she had 30-minute sessions once a week with Andrew, but there were more opportunities where she got to know him better.
“On the days that we would be stretching on the platform was a good opportunity for us to chat more. He would tell me about his everyday life, what he does on the weekends and ask advice about his love life,” Smith said.
“It was like night and day,” Smith said of Andrew. She also said he became a local celebrity at the Downtown Wichita YMCA.
“He was consistent in the gym and it did wonders for his mental health. He was always smiling, approaching new people and never afraid of striking up a conversation. He was a very genuine person,” Smith said.
Lisa Ornelas says her son’s legacy will continue to live on through the people he interacted with.
“Like I said, he never knew a stranger,” she said. “There’s all these people who have come to me and sent me messages that they’re inspired by him and what he’s been able to accomplish. I know I’m his mother, but I’m proud of my son and what he’s done — and what he could have done further.”
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 5:00 AM.