Winifreda lived hours of deep pain and meditation when saying goodbye to Lautaro Villafañe, the 26-year-old young man from Winifreda whose remains were buried last Friday in the local cemetery. Before reaching their final rest, the funeral procession made an emotional stop at the Miguel Eloy Baldovino stadium, a scene full of memories and meaning in their life story, where they received a heartfelt and massive tribute.
After his repatriation from Playa del Carmen, Mexico, where he died, Lautaro was laid to rest on Thursday in the hall of the Martín Servicios Sociales company. As reported by the InfoWini portal, a large number of neighbors came to accompany his family and express their regret and affection to his father Darío, his mother Marcela, his brother Agustín and the rest of his loved ones.
On Friday, around 9:30, the last tour began. The journey included a particularly moving stop at the Miguel Eloy Baldovino stadium, belonging to the Winifreda Club, a space that deeply marked Lautaro’s sporting and human path.
In that place he not only defended the colors of the First Division team, but also, in the years prior to his departure to Mexico, he dedicated himself to training the youngest, coaching children’s categories and collaborating as a field assistant in the training divisions, especially in the fourth and fifth.
Entering the stadium was accompanied by messages full of emotion. Two posters presided over the farewell: “Facha, always in our hearts,” said one, evoking his nickname, while another expressed “Depo my life, you are my joy, you are my heart.”
When the hearse resumed its march towards the cemetery, a long and sustained applause surrounded the moment. Many of the children and young people who had him as a coach could not contain their tears and said goodbye to Lautaro by releasing light blue and white balloons, in a symbolic gesture of love and gratitude.
From there, the procession continued to the local necropolis, where his remains rest forever.
“Broken heart”
Through a post on Facebook, Darío Villafañe, Lautaro’s father, shared a message of gratitude full of pain and love. “With a totally broken heart, but doing the right thing. Agus, Marce, Katy and I want to thank everyone who accompanied us in this difficult moment and those who helped us so that my Lauti was back on our court and in our town, always kind and supportive,” he wrote.
In the same text, he expressed his recognition to different people and institutions that accompanied the family in these difficult days: “Eternal thanks to Adriana García (mayor), Nacho Martín, to the Martín Servicios Sociales team, to Hernán Camps, to the commission of the Winifreda Social and Sports Club and to his soccer teammates, for the support and friendship towards him.”
He also thanked Cristian Savarese, Aarón Obert, Fabio Gatica, Agustín Pieraligi, Enzo Furch, Maxi Alles, Nolo Wigenhauser, Ale Mázina and Coqui Bornes, and apologized “in case I forget anyone.”
The message continued with a special recognition “to all my co-workers and the colleagues he knew how to have in his work environment, to my friends who were and have been since the first hour, and especially to my family: brothers, uncles, cousins”, and concluded with an affectionate greeting “to my nephews Alejandro and Mónica, and Ivana.”
Furthermore, Darío shared a letter he received from Fede, a boy whom Lautaro trained and who left words that reflect the affection he sowed: “I’m just going to tell you that I’m going to miss you a lot. Thank you for encouraging us in every game, for helping us improve and for making us smile. I love you very much. You will always be in my heart, in every tournament and in every training session.”
