Thursday, October 1, 2026
Alberto Ayala, 37, a Uniondale father and longtime youth football coach who died July 11 in a crash in Roosevelt that also seriously injured his wife and children, was remembered Sunday, Aug. 9, as a protector and community pillar as family and friends gathered for his wake following funeral services on Monday.
Ayala was driving a 2021 Chrysler sedan southbound on Brookside Avenue when he struck a utility pole at the intersection with West Centennial Avenue, police said. He was with his wife, Rosa Alvarado, who sat in the passenger seat while his two children Adrian, 19, and Dahlia Ayala, 9, were in the back.
Omar Alvarado, Alberto's brother-in-law said the crash was completely accidental. Adrian, detected something was wrong, according to Alvarado, the 19-year-old then steered the car away from oncoming traffic.
"It wasn’t speeding or any of those sorts of things – he had a medical emergency behind the wheel, and luckily my nephew sprang into action,” Alvardo said. "The reality is he saved a lot of lives himself that day, and it's probably too early for him to really accept that information because he just lost his father."
Once the news reached the family, Allison Morales, a close family friend of Ayala's sister, started a GoFundMe fundraiser to support the family. The fundraiser gained momentum almost immediately, raising more than $25,000 in its first week before climbing to $35,158 as of Aug. 9 with more than 300 contributors. The funds will go directly to the Ayala family.
For Alvardo it has been special to see the outpouring of calls and asks for visitations throughout the difficult time. “It's been special to see people come together in unfortunate circumstances obviously,” he said. “But to support somebody who always supported them as limitlessly as he could.”
The fundraiser stated the family is now burdened with medical bills and funeral expenses and hope the funds they raise will help ease that burden. Though exactly how it will be used has not yet been determined because the family is still recovering – Alvarado said before the funeral.
"People donated probably $100 per person, so it's not these big benefactors or anything like that by any means," he said. "It's just the community coming together and trying to support somebody that loved them."
Known to family and friends as "Al," Alberto volunteered for more than five years with the Uniondale Knights Youth Football — a nonprofit that offers youth football and cheerleading from Nassau County Youth Football League — after his son, Adrian, began playing.
Alvarado said Alberto’s involvement in youth sports reflected a larger commitment to family and community. His nephew, Adrian, participated in football, lacrosse and baseball, and Alberto volunteered in countless ways, from helping children get to practice to taking on organizational responsibilities. Kids who were friends with Adrian often called him "Uncle."
"He was very involved in my program," head coach Tim Forehand said. "And he was very supportive of me."
Forehand said Alberto went far above and beyond to ensure the program was enjoyable for the players. He traveled with the team on trips to the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta and other destinations. He also designed black-and-gold T-shirts for the organization to keep the Uniondale Knights theme. Graphic design was one of Ayala's interests.
Forehand described him as a key member of the program.
Assistant Coach Eric Rucker Jr. from Roosevelt, was very close to Alberto. Rucker met him when their children played football together, but it wasn’t friendship at first sight.
“When we first met, we were so competitive and we were so in tune with our kids,” Rucker said with enthusiasm while reminiscing. “We were so competitive and at first – we didn't like each other it was nothing violent or anything but then we grew on each other.”
Rucker described Alberto rarely showing anger and remained calm and humble despite his imposing stature. Standing about 6-foot-2, he said, Alberto was someone friends and family could always rely on.
“He was a family man – his family meant everything to him and any decision he would make he would do it with his family,” Rucker said. “He never was for himself – if you ask me or his wife, we would call him a village because everyone came to him and he never said no.”
Rucker said Alberto’s generosity extended well beyond football. His children spent time at the Ayala home, traveled with the family and looked to him for advice. Alberto also served as the godfather to Rucker's second oldest son Ezra.
“I can't think of one negative thing that anybody can really say about Al," Rucker said emotionally. "He wasn't that type of person at all."
The fundraising campaign describes Alberto as a protector who made caring for his family and community his priority. For those who knew him, the community's response has reflected the impact he made.
"That just shows you how much he touched people," Forehand said. "For people to donate $35,000 to a guy, it shows he made a presence."
According to the GoFundMe campaign, Alberto treated Adrian's football teammates like his own children and enthusiastically supported his daughter in her love of lacrosse. The campaign also notes that he and Rosa were childhood sweethearts who had known each other since third grade.
"My sister lost her partner, and my niece and nephew lost their father," Omar said. "There'll be challenges of all sorts that they'll face ahead of them."
Omar said the family is focused on getting healthy and adjusting to what he called their "new normal."
To help support Alberto Ayala’s family, please visit tinyurl.com/AlbertoAyala26.
