Funeral for Sisters to Be Held Thursday

Funeral services will be held Thursday for two sisters from Ventura killed in a head-on traffic accident Dec. 26 near Santa Paula.

Katie Marie Tello, 11, and Andrea Michelle Tello, 8, died after the minivan they were riding in collided with another vehicle on California 126, one mile east of Santa Paula. Their mother, Diane Tello, 37, was released Friday after being treated at Santa Paula Memorial Hospital.

Katie Tello, born March 20, 1985, in Ventura, was a sixth-grade honor roll student at Cabrillo Middle School. She had become proficient in sign language.

She played in the Tri Valley girls softball league and was selected for the all-star team the last two years. She also was a member of the Loma Vista 4-H chapter.

Her sister, Andrea, who was born June 7, 1988, in Ventura, was in the third grade at Poinsettia Elementary School, and a member of Brownie Troop 528. Like Katie, Andrea played in the Tri Valley league and was an all-star team member last year. She was also a member of the Loma Vista 4-H chapter.

Vigil rite services will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church, 10800 Henderson Road. A Christian funeral Mass will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. at the church. Burial will follow in Bardsdale Cemetery in Fillmore.

Contributions to help with the funeral expenses may be made to the Katie and Andrea Tello Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 995, Fillmore, CA 93016.

The driver of the other vehicle, 30-year-old Juan Ramirez of Port Hueneme, was discharged from Ventura County Medical Center on Sunday, said a hospital spokeswoman, after being treated for injuries to his face.

His wife, 20-year-old Norma Fuentes, remained in critical condition in the medical center intensive care unit Sunday evening.

California Highway Patrol investigators believe Ramirez fell asleep at the wheel of his car and that the car drifted into the eastbound lanes.

CHP officials say they will recommend that the district attorney’s office file vehicular manslaughter charges against Ramirez.