Officials identified two people killed in a Riverside County crash as married teachers who both worked at the Sweetwater Union High School District.
Henry and Pamela Gutierrez, ages 70 and 64 respectively, died Saturday outside of Indio when they crashed on westbound Interstate 10, the Riverside County Coroner says.
Pamela worked at Hilltop High School, while Henry taught at National City Middle School, Sweetwater spokesperson Nadege Johnson told NBC 7 Monday.
"He enjoyed his job," Raul Gutierrez, Henry's brother, said. "He always told me about his kids. This one and that one … and this … but he was there for them, you know? Both of them, they were both there for the kids."
Henry was a Navy veteran and Purple Heart recipient who survived a ship bombing in Vietnam, Raul said.
As for their relationship, Pamela and Henry were "inseparable."
"They were always together. I always teased them both: 'How old do you have to be till you quit holding hands?'" Raul recalled. "I always teased them, but they were good people, good brother and good sister-in-law."
Johnson sent NBC 7 this statement about the couple's death:
"This is a tragic loss to our community to lose such great teachers and community members. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Gutierrez family."
