Family man and National Grid worker Roderick "Kito" Jackson, a beloved member of his community, was laid to rest Saturday in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after he was killed while on the job in Waltham last week.
The 36-year-old was working on gas lines, alongside a Waltham police officer who was working the detail, when a car crashed into the work site, killing them both.
The funeral, held at St. Paul AME Church, saw friends and family remembering how supportive and impactful "Kito" was in their lives, describing him as a selfless provider who helped his single mother raise his three younger siblings in Cambridge.
"I'm so proud to be your brother. I'm so proud of the man you were. The man that you are," his brother Manuel Asprilla-Hassan said.
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"He believed in me more than I believed in myself" added Asprilla-Hassan, Jackson's younger brother, who is a law clerk and former cornerback for the Los Angeles Chargers.
“I could never forget, Manny was playing pop warner. He said, 'Mac, Manny’s going to the NFL,' and Manny went to the NFL,” pallbearer MacClure Powell said.
“Me and Kito worked for National Grid. I was actually the person who got him the job. During the accident -- I felt so bad felt like it was my fault. Norma looked at me and said you did the right thing,” pallbearer David Gibson said.
Friends, family and his French bull dog, Chanel, said their final goodbyes, with community leaders like Gov. Maura Healey, Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy, police, fire and National Grid workers all showing their support
“Without unity you don’t have strength. Look around you today. You see the unity we have here today and the strength we have,” Waltham Police Chief Kevin O’Connell said.
The Cambridge City Council also extended their condolences to the family as Jackson was well known in the community for his athletic achievements.
A lover of all sports – especially football -- Jackson’s family is creating a student-athlete scholarship to keep his memory alive forever.
“Even in death, you find ways to support this family," Asprilla-Hassan said. "And I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.”
The week since Norma Asprilla's oldest son died in a hit-and-run crash has been "horrific," she said at a news conference Friday, a "nightmare that I cannot wake up from."
"It's very painful," she said. "I think about it over and over."
His death hit her especially hard as she brought the clothes that he is to be buried in to the funeral home, she said.
"Why has this happened to our family? We're good people. Our home is always open," Asprilla said. "We just can't comprehend what's happening."
Jackson was killed in the crash on the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec. 6, along with Waltham Police Officer Paul Tracey, whose funeral was held earlier Friday. Two other National Grid workers were hurt in the crash as well.
Friday's news conference was to announce the creation of a scholarship in Jackson's name, to be given to a student-athlete from Cambridge, and that the family plans to bring a civil suit against the driver accused of killing Jackson and Tracey, who has a criminal history.
"The family wants answers about why he was able to be out in the community and how something like this ever could have been allowed to happen," said the family's attorney, Thomas Flaws.
The Jackson family attended Tracey's wake on Thursday, a leader of Tracey's funeral said at the service, and Asprilla made a point of offering a statement to Tracey's family on Friday, since they weren't able to attend the funeral.
"We want their family to know, and their community, that we're with them and we also support them as they have supported our family all this time."
Jackson's brother spoke about the impact the crash had on his family last week after the court hearing for Peter Simon, the New Hampshire man facing charges over what happened.
"He meant everything to me, he meant everything to everybody," Asprilla-Hassan said. "The city of Cambridge knows who he is. When everybody forgets about him, we will remember. This is a nightmare that I'm living in. I woke up -- what just happened? You get what I'm saying? I can't even explain this story to anybody."
