A man who died after he was hit by a car while trying to save a dog in Mission is being remembered as someone who loved helping others.

The family of Joe De Hoyos, 55, identified him as the man who died in the Monday, Feb. 17, 2026 crash in the 3600 block of North Conway Avenue.

Luz Balbuena, De Hoyos’ niece, said the loss still hasn't fully sunk in.

"It still feels very unreal," Balbuena said.

According to the Mission Police Department, De Hoyos was walking along his usual route with another man and two dogs when one of the dogs got loose. De Hoyos ran after the dog and was struck by a vehicle.

Police previously said De Hoyos was not carrying any identification, making it difficult to immediately identify him. His family says they didn't learn what happened until days later.

"We didn't hear anything until Wednesday morning where my grandma actually gets a call," Balbuena said.

Balbuena said De Hoyos was known for riding his bike in the area and was someone the family saw often.

"It was my first funeral, and I had never lost someone so close and I had to take care of everything. I had to find the strength," Balbuena said.

Balbuena said she will miss De Hoyos’ kindness.

"He loved helping people. He would take his jacket off to give it to someone else," Balbuena said.

She says his funeral showed how many lives he touched.

"Definitely seeing that the community loved them that his friends, his resort friends, his friends from Corpus, friends from school, friends that he just met out there. I mean everyone came together to celebrate his life," Balbuena said.

Balbuena said everyday traditions will feel the hardest without her uncle.

“It's just it's going to be very difficult to continue life knowing that he's not going to be there."

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