A funeral Mass will take place Friday morning for the Santa Maria Valley couple who died last week in Mexico due to a gas leak.
High school sweethearts Julian Leonel Casares, 21, and Mireya Arecili Leon, 20, died July 9 after a gas leak at the house they were staying during a trip to Mexico.
The Mass will celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church, 1190 E. Clark Ave., in Orcutt.
Burial will follow at the Santa Maria Cemetery.
Visitation will take place from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, also at St. Louis de Montfort.
They were found in a bedroom near a laundry room with a boiler suspected as the source of liquified petroleum gas leak, according to media in Mexico.
Both graduated from Righetti High School in Orcutt, where she participated in track and he played football and wrestled.
After high school, Casares worked for Pacific Beverage Co. as a merchandiser and had recently received a promotion.
Casares also was on a waiting list to join the apprentice program to become an electrician through the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union in Buellton.
Leon worked in a clerical position for the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of Moreno Mortuary in Santa Maria.
A GoFundMe page to help the families with funeral and burial costs had raised more than $20,000 as of mid-day Thursday and can be found by clicking here.