Lisa Lopez-Galvan (KKFI Kansas City)
The beloved co-host of a weekly Tejano music show on KKFI-FM was known for her big heart
By now, most Kansas Citians know about Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the beloved co-host of a weekly Tejano music show on KKFI-FM. She was the only fatality in a senseless shooting just minutes after the conclusion of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration at Union Station on Feb. 14.
Local news outlets covered the story, as did national media, because random gun violence was not something people thought of in connection to Kansas City’s storied NFL franchise. Gunfire isn’t what anyone expected at a downtown celebration for the Chiefs, a beloved team whose optimism, toughness and humility — personified by quarterback Patrick Mahomes — are a vital part of Kansas City’s identity.
Indeed, Lopez-Galvan was an avid Chiefs fan who was buried in kicker Harrison Butker’s jersey.
Two men were charged with murder in the shooting, which left 22 injured. Nine of the wounded were children.
Grieving for Lopez-Galvan were her husband and two adult children, among many others.
Her brother, Beto Lopez, CEO of the Guadalupe Centers in Kansas City, told KCUR-FM’s Steve Kraske that “my sister was caught up in the middle of it. Plain and simple.”
“She was a big-hearted person,” he continued. “Great mother, great wife, great grandmother. To me, more importantly, she was a great sister. Whenever she greeted you, that smile was real; that smile was really embracing for any stranger that first met her, and that’s the legacy.”
