Who is Trey Ganem? Artist designs personalised caskets for Uvalde victims in touching tribute 

On Tuesday, May 24, Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School witnessed a tragic shooting that led to the deaths of 19 children and two adults. Custom casket maker Trey Ganem has decided to pay tribute to the child victims of the shooting incident by designing personalised caskets fpr them, a week after the incident.

The artist also took to social media to announce that he will be offering his time and services to design the caskets for the Uvalde shooting victims free of cost:

“I'm on my way to help families in this tragic time. This is something no family should ever have to deal with. My love and emotions are already there.”

According to People, the Texas Funeral Directors Association asked Ganem to provide his services so the Uvalde shooting victims may be put to rest. Ganem also told BuzzFeed that he wanted to add a personal touch to the caskets:

“I think there were 17 at the time that he knew of, and [he] wanted to know if I would be able to help out and make sure that all these kids have, you know, some personalization.”

People also noted that there was reportedly a shortage of child-sized caskets in Edna, which prompted the artist to order the caskets from another manufacturer in Griffin. The manufacturer reportedly worked for 20 hours to deliver the caskets on time.

Ganem mentioned that the trucking company drove for over 24 hours to deliver the caskets to his shop. He also shared that dozens of people had volunteered to help paint, and apply sand and vinyl to the caskets for the Uvalde school shooting victims.

Fourth-grade victim Eliahna Torres’ mother Sandra also collaborated with Ganem to design her daughter’s casket. In a heartbreaking statement, Sandra told Buzzfeed that she used llamas, the TikTok logo, and neon yellow slime for her child’s casket:

“She would tell me that she needed glue for school because she had a big ole project to do, and the glue would be to make slime. She drove us crazy with the TikTok.”

Ganem further told CNN that all 19 caskets were finished over the holiday weekend. As per reports, he worked tirelessly for nearly three days straight and only had six hours of sleep.

The artist met with family members of the victims to design their customized caskets, so each of them would be aligned with their interests. The themes ranged from softball to TikTok to Spiderman. Ganem mentioned that the graphics and decals for each casket were made by Marisol Gonzalez of SOLart Designs and Justin Watts of The Graphix House.

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Everything to know about Uvalde victims' casket designer Trey Ganem

Trey Ganem is a custom casket maker and owner of SoulShine Industries (Image via Soulshine Industries/Instagram)

Trey Ganem is a custom casket designer, known for designing the casket of deceased Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen. He is the owner of custom casket company SoulShine Industries, and runs the business with his 25-year-old son.

The designer initially built custom cars and eventually shifted to designing custom caskets before his son joined the business in 2016. Ganem’s caskets reportedly sell for a price range between $3,400 and $3,800. However, the artist decided to donate custom caskets for the student victims of Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School shooting free of cost.

Speaking about their customization offerings, Ganem told Buzzfeed that the goal of his company is to help families deal with their personal tragedy:

“We’re here to try to make a hard time a little easier. There’s nothing we can really ever do to make it easier, but that’s our goal: to help the families... start their grieving and their healing and just try to make something special for them.”

He also shared that the project of designing caskets for the Uvalde victims was an emotional roller coaster:

“It has been an extremely emotional roller coaster for me. I don't even know if you can hear my voice. I haven't hollered at all, but I'm losing my voice, for whatever reason.”

Ganem mentioned that he had a similar experience while designing the caskets for 26 churchgoers who were killed in a shooting in Sutherland Springs nearly five years ago.

As Uvalde residents continue to mourn the loss of innocent lives in the Robb Elementary School shooting, funeral masses are set to begin at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Reports suggest that Herby Ham Adult Activity Center is booked for funerals throughout June and Rushing-Estes-Knowles Mortuary is booked until June 13.