EDWIN JEOVANNY LÓPEZ CORNEJO
Edwin Jeovanny López Cornejo used to ask God for more time.
Not for anything extraordinary. Just enough years to watch his daughter Ashley grow.
She was at the center of his life. Edwin once wrote about coming home exhausted from work and feeling the tiredness disappear when he saw her waiting for him. As she grew, he was there at school pickup, proud of her accomplishments, sharing music with her and imagining the waltz they would someday dance at her quinceañera. When people remember Edwin, they remember someone hardworking and generous, someone who showed up and helped. But perhaps the clearest picture of him is simply this: a father delighted by his daughter.
Edwin was born in Cuscatlán, El Salvador, and came to the United States as a young man. He spent nearly two decades building a life in New Jersey, carrying one home with him while creating another.
About the Portrait
His journey lives inside his papel picado portrait. On one side, the mountains, rising sun and tropical landscape recall El Salvador and the place where his story began. On the other, the Manhattan skyline rises in the distance, seen from the New Jersey side beyond a field of native wildflowers. Edwin sits between them, not divided by two places, but surrounded by both.
At the bottom of the portrait is a heart. It feels fitting. So much of Edwin’s story leads back to love: the family he worked for, the daughter he dreamed for, the music they shared and the future he imagined alongside her.
On June 18, 2026, Edwin was detained by immigration agents and taken to Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey. He died on August 1 after becoming gravely ill while in custody. His family continues to seek answers about the medical care he received there. His death is part of his story, but it is not the measure of his life.
Edwin asked for more time. What he left behind reminds us that a life is also measured by what we pour into the time we are given: by the people we love, the futures we help imagine, and the ways that love continues to travel long after us.
A papel picado portrait from Papel Memoria, a memorial archive by Alessandra Gutierrez.
Download and Community Use
For the clearest detail and strongest finished piece, I recommend using cardstock and a cutting machine. (Check your local LIBRARY for one in their “Maker Spaces”) Cardstock provides the stability needed to hold the fine lines and structure of the design. You can download the black and white image directly from this site or access the full set on the Cricut website under the Papel Memoria Collection. These templates are free to use for personal and community projects, but they may not be sold or used for commercial purposes.
To download the PNG file, click on the black and white image, open a new page and right click to save on to your computer. Alternately, you can visit the collection page on the Cricut website for all the files here.
For anyone without access to a paper cutter, poster size papel picado portraits are also available to order here and can be shipped directly.