SPRING, Texas – The family and friends of one of the seven confirmed dead in the Houston flood is speaking during their time of grief.
Family members of German Antonio Franco say he worked for a chauffeur company and was on his way to the airport to pick someone up before his body was found Monday inside a black SUV he was using for work on Imperial Valley Road in Spring.
"The world really lost a good person," Franco’s longtime friend Craig Koy said.
He said he's known Franco, who calls Tony for more than 30 years.
“The hardest thing to say about Tony is, he always had a smile on his face, you always looked forward to seeing him. When you left him he always left you in a better mood than when you were before you saw him," Koy said.
The 66-year-old father of three is one of at least seven reported deaths related to the flood. His family said his death is a bit of a mystery. They say a nearby neighbor tried to break him out of the car but it was too late.
The Francos say they lost someone who meant something special to each part of the family.
Koy said, “I'd have to say [he was] a very intelligent, warm, giving and loving man."
The medical examiner's office has not released the cause of Franco’s death. The family said Wednesday is the first day they will get to see his body.