Efrain Guerrero Jr. spent 12 years responding to calls throughout the Rio Grande Valley, putting others first according to his family.

"He was...a joker, he would always make us laugh, always there for all my family," his aunt, Martha Moreno, said, adding that he was the heart of their family, and a devoted husband, father and son.

"He saved lives,” Moreno said. “He saved a lot of lives throughout his job and were so sad to hear that he's gone."

Guerrero Jr., 31, was on his way to work last Sunday when a vehicle traveling southbound on the northbound lane on Highway 281 struck Guerrero Jr. head-on. 

The wrong way driver in that crash was also killed.

RELATED: Edinburg police: 2 dead in wrong-way driver crash
Officials identify victims in deadly wrong-way crash in Edinburg

"This is tragic, we're not even supposed to be here,” Bert Lopez - regional director of Allegiance Mobile Health said “Like we're not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to be doing this interview you know, so it's sad. Our hearts are heavy."

Lopez said Guerrero had a wealth of knowledge and was always eager to mentor and help younger EMT’s.

"We lost one of our own. He's our family and it's sad, it hurts,” Lopez said. “Everybody's missing him and everybody just remembers him being that mentor."

On Friday, Guerrero Jr.'s family and the first responder community came together to honor the self-less man they called the epitome of a true public servant.