Ruben Ray Martinez

Ruben Ray Martinez had just turned twenty three. His mother says he was finally doing what young people are supposed to do, leaving town for the first time with his best friend to celebrate at the beach. He worked hard. He stayed close to home. He was humble, gentle, not someone drawn to trouble. “He was a typical young guy,” his mother said. He was only just beginning to experience life beyond routine.

That weekend, he and his lifelong friend drove from San Antonio to South Padre Island. After midnight, as they passed through an intersection where federal agents were assisting local police with traffic, shots were fired into Ruben’s car. He was struck multiple times and later pronounced dead at a hospital. Federal officials said he accelerated and struck an agent. His mother does not believe her son would have intentionally harmed anyone. “They didn’t give him a chance,” she said. “They could have done anything else.”

What remains is a mother who believed her son had more life ahead of him.

For the clearest detail and strongest finished piece, I recommend using cardstock and a cutting machine. Cardstock provides the stability needed to hold the fine lines and structure of the design. You can download the image directly from this site or access the full set on the Cricut website under the What Remains 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 image to the left, 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.