Friends, relatives pack church for Tina Tintor funeral

Heartbroken relatives, friends and strangers shed tears Thursday while they said goodbye to a 23-year-old Las Vegas woman killed in a crash involving then-Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs.

The family of Tina Tintor held a funeral for the woman and her dog, Max, who were killed in the fiery crash on Nov. 2. The woman’s death, with its connection to an NFL star, has thrust the family into the national media spotlight.

About 100 people packed St. Simeon Serbian Orthodox Church on Jones Boulevard for the service. The crowd overflowed into the foyer and onto the sidewalk during the hourlong ceremony. Serbian hymns rang out while women and men in black wept.

At 12:30 p.m., Tintor’s white casket was carried out to a waiting white hearse. The priest sang another Serbian hymn, while another man draped incense over the casket.

Those who then exited the church could be seen crying or carrying wet tissues. The dozens standing outside stared at the ground silently. Some sniffled away tears.

Family members declined requests for interviews. Following the funeral, a private committal service was held at a cemetery.

Raiders’ owner Mark Davis was among those sitting in the 10 pews inside the church for the funeral. He walked away quietly and alone after the casket was carried out.

Las Vegas resident Robert Kendzior attended the funeral to show support on behalf of the community. He did not know Tintor but said he’s been heartbroken by her death.

“It stuck with me all week,” Kendzior said, adding, “I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to donate. I wanted to send condolences. I wanted to send flowers. Nothing seemed right. And I remembered when I’ve lost loved ones it was important to me when people showed up.”

Through an attorney, the family released a statement last week that read: “Tina’s tragic loss has devastated her family beyond a grief they could ever comprehend. Family was everything to Tina, and she was the light of her parents’ life.”

Tintor and Max were killed after Ruggs’ Chevrolet Corvette Stingray struck her Toyota RAV4 near Rainbow Boulevard and Spring Valley Parkway, Las Vegas police said.

Ruggs, 22, was charged with DUI and reckless driving resulting in death, as well as a gun charge. The Raiders released him from the team after the crash.

Authorities said Ruggs was driving his car at a speed of 156 mph moments before the crash, and that his blood alcohol level was measured at 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit for drivers in Nevada.

At a vigil Friday in Tintor’s honor, friends said she dreamed of being a computer programmer. Tintor worked for Target for about two years before recently taking a job with an insurance company.

Co-workers recalled her smile and helpful nature. She trained several other employees and offered to help one woman with her resume.

People have expressed their condolences on an online obituary page for Tintor. The obituary, at the Dignity Memorial website, noted that Tintor was born in Serbia.

“My deepest condolences to Tina & Max’s family, in the states & overseas,” Kat Gusseva wrote. “Like many others, I have been overwhelmed with grief upon reading the tragic news & the series of events that took place that awful day. The story hit close to home. It is simply a senseless occurrence.”

La Martini Sterling wrote: “I am so hurt about what happened to you.”

“May God hold you both and all your family in His Loving Hands and keep you under His Eternal Protection always,” Sterling wrote. “And may His Justice be served for you.”

A GoFundMe page created by Tintor’s brother had raised more than $102,000 in the five days since it was posted.

Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0390. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter. Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.