Roque “Rocky” Lopez’s last words to his wife, Ravin, were of love and comfort.
She was worried about him going out on his motorcycle Wednesday night after the pair had spent the day riding in the countryside and visiting their son in Rockford.
“He gave me a kiss. He said, ‘It’s OK, preciosa, I’ll be right back. Don’t worry,’” Ravin Lopez said. Preciosa, which means precious in English, was his pet name for her.
Her last image of him was as he drove away on his Harley-Davidson.
Rocky Lopez, 53, was killed in a crash about 9:45 p.m. Aug. 9 at Binnie and Huntley roads, just seven minutes from their house, Ravin said.
West Dundee police said a 61-year-old Dundee Township woman driving a Lexus collided with Lopez’s motorcycle. Lopez was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team’s investigation into the crash is ongoing, West Dundee Police Chief Anthony Gorski said. No charges have been filed.
“I don’t know what’s going on. I’ve heard nothing,” Ravin said.
She opted not to go with her husband to visit a friend because it had been a long day; Lopez promised he’d be right back. As it got later, she tried calling him but received no answer, she said.
“My husband is not the kind of guy not to answer my calls,” Ravin said. “The minutes went by, the seconds went by, and that gut feeling got worse.”
She tracked his phone to a spot on Huntley Road, but he wasn’t moving, she said. She thought he might been stopped and was getting a ticket but when she drove to the location, the road was blocked off and she was told there had been a bad accident.
She asked a police officer if it involved a motorcycle, and was told he didn’t know, she said. Later, another officer asked her about the motorcycle’s registration and if anyone other than her husband drove it.
“Then he said, ‘I’m so sorry, ma’am, but your husband is gone,’” Ravin said. When she tried to run to where Rocky was, the officer stopped her. “He said, ‘Ms. Lopez, I’m so sorry, but this is not the last image you want to have of your husband.’”
Since then she’s been in a haze, she said, picking up Rocky’s personal belongings at the Kane County Coroner’s Office and making arrangements for the visitation and burial servic, which will be held this week. The couple’s blended family consists of eight children and 11 grandchildren.
And she’s been getting hundreds of cards, emails and texts from people wanting to offer their condolences. Rocky’s social media pages and other online sites have been flooded with posts.
Rocky knew many people through his tortilla business, Tortilleria Chihuahua, which operated out of Dream Hall in downtown Elgin. Others came in contact with him through his work as a Chicago film actor. Still others knew him by sight only — Lopez was recognizable because of his multiple face and neck tattooes, which included the names of his children.
A motorcycle ride was held in his honor Sunday, concluding with a gathering to build a roadside memorial for him at the crash sight. One person has proposed creating a mural in Elgin in his memory, something Ravin and her family would like to pursue.
“My husband was an amazing man,” she said. “If he wanted to do something, he wasn’t going to think twice. If he failed, he would get up and try again.”
Rocky, whose social media tagline was #Rocksworld, had 3,300 followers on his Facebook page, where he’d post information about the films he was appearing in as well as photos and positive quotes. In one he posted last month, he wrote, “I thank you my Lord for the good and the bad.”
While he looked intimidating with his multiple face tattoos, Rocky was friendly and loved talking to people, Ravin said. He was the perfect example of not judging a book by its cover, she said.
“He was just an amazing dad and grandfather and an incredible husband,” she said.
Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Lopez held a variety of jobs over the course of his lifetime, including entrepreneur, truck driver, actor and CDL instructor, according to his obituary. In addition to his children and grandchildren, he is survived by a sister and two brothers.
A visitation will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Alvarez Funeral Home in Chicago. Burial services are scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at Bluff City Cemetery in Elgin.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
