IN A SENSELESS and tragic murder, Manuel Coello, who had been a Bay Guardian delivery person for more than a decade, was shot and killed by an armed robber July 20 in East Palo Alto.

Coello, according to police reports, was delivering copies of Metro Silicon Valley, a paper he also worked for, when a gunman confronted him and asked for money. Coello was shot while trying to run away. Coello's brother, who was with him at the time, managed to escape. The killer was still at large at press time.

Coello, a father of four, was born in Lima, Peru, and served as a pilot in an elite unit of the Peruvian military. He was an accomplished athlete, a swimmer, a gymnast, and a track runner who also practiced yoga.

Coello's daughter, Karol, a student at San Francisco State University, told me that her father came to the United States in 1990 and settled in San Francisco. He soon brought his family over to join him.

"He wanted to live the American dream, to buy a house and put his kids through college," she said.

Within five years, he had purchased a Daly City home. He ran a cleaning service and worked at Round Table Pizza before becoming a newspaper delivery driver.

"He loved his job," Karol Coello said. "He was always a happy, upbeat, positive guy."

When friends needed help, she said, her dad was always there: "He would find money, lend a hand, show up with his truck to help someone move – he'd do anything for a friend.

"And he was a great father. He gave us everything we ever needed."

David Watson, the Bay Guardian's circulation manager, said, "He was more than a driver to me; I considered him a friend. He was one of our most dependable people, and it's not going to be the same without him."

Viewing is from 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday, July 28, at Duggan's Serra Mortuary, 500 Westlake Ave., Daly City. A rosary will be said at 7 p.m.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, at Holy Angels Church, 107 San Pedro, Daly City. He will be buried in the Italian Cemetery in Colma. Flowers can be sent to the funeral home on Thursday.

Surviving Coello are his wife, Lucy Luque, two daughters, Karol, 20, and Dorine, 21, both juniors at San Francisco State University, and two brothers, Kevin, 15, a sophomore at a Pacifica High School, and Spencer, 5, who will be entering kindergarten this fall.

Coello was the main provider for his family; contributions to help with burial and future expenses can be sent to the following fund: The Coello Family Fund, Bridge Bank, Attn. Bank Services, 55 Almaden Blvd., Suite 1100, San Jose, CA 95113. (Tim Redmond)