EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The El Paso City Council voted on Tuesday to approve renaming Fortaleza Park in memory of 7-year-old Sebastian Rowan and 4-year-old Charlotte Emery Trotter, the two young siblings who died in the devastating Ruidoso floods in July.

Celebration of life to be held for siblings who died in Ruidoso floods

El Paso leaders decided that the park, located at 14800 Tierra Fortaleza Ave., will be officially renamed to Trotter Memorial Park, as both children and the Trotter family enjoyed many hours at the park.

“We are going to do something here as a city to acknowledge Sebastian and Charlotte that will live on forever as they are in our hearts,” City Rep. for District 5, Ivan Niño, who proposed the agenda item, said.

As KTSM previously reported, the two siblings were killed on July 8 during the flooding in Ruidoso. Along with the siblings, two of the three family dogs, Zeus and Ellie, also died. The parents, Stephanie and Sebastian Trotter, and their dog Lily survived. The Army post had confirmed that they are a Fort Bliss family.

Stephanie and Sebastian Trotter were in attendance when the city council approved the agenda item in honor of their late children, saying they are grateful and overwhelmed with the love they are receiving.

“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude just because I was not expecting, I guess, our kids to be loved this much in the community,” Stephanie Trotter said.

She added that this time of year is very depressing, and this is a good way to embrace their children.

” I think it fits El Paso, they always go above and beyond, and it’s just a lot of grace and a lot of love that we get from the community,” she said.

Sebastian Trotter said that although it’s been a difficult road without their children, their lives are not over.

“Our children would not want our lives to be over. So, we continue to live on for them, you know, show some empathy for others, and just understand that people have hard days. Little things like ‘hello’ and smiles,” he said. “And that we continue, like I said, to live day by day by day and to have grace not upon ourselves but other people, not taking relationships for granted and just constantly strive to be better people, humble, compassionate, empathetic, and sympathetic.”

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