The Warrenton community is mourning the loss of Pablo Teodoro, owner of Main Street's Great Harvest Bread Company and a well-known community advocate.
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The Warrenton community is mourning the loss of Pablo Teodoro, owner of Main Street’s Great Harvest Bread Company and a well-known community advocate.
“Last night our courageous leader Pablo was in a fatal car accident. The last couple of hours have been extremely sad and shocking,” Great Harvest of Warrenton said in a Thursday Facebook post.
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out with stories, love, and memories of Pablo. We are going to take time to process this loss and prepare our next steps.”
The shop on Main Street is closed until further notice.
The crash happened just after 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when Teodoro, driving a Tesla, struck a tractor-trailer pulling out of the Quarles Truck Stop on U.S. 29 in Opal, according to the Fauquier Times.
Teodoro, 57, died at the scene. The truck’s driver, 58-year-old Leroy Kenneth of Leesburg, was charged with reckless driving, the sheriff’s office said.
Warrenton Mayor Carter Nevill said downtown merchants are shaken and in shock over Teodoro’s death.
“You could not find a bigger champion for Warrenton than Pablo Teodoro. His heart was generous and it was thorough,” Nevill said.
More than a decade ago, after 22 years working for a car dealership, Teodoro decided to become a business owner. He’d dabbled in sustainable farming and established a popular farmers market.
He then learned about Great Harvest franchises and opened the Warrenton Great Harvest in 2010.
In the early days of the pandemic, Great Harvest struggled, and Teodoro considered bankruptcy. But he soon realized he could fill a need as grocery store supply chains failed and shelves went empty.
He began taking orders, no matter how big or small, so anyone who needed bread had access. Then donations started coming in for Great Harvest to bake bread for food pantries and anyone in need. Fresh-baked bread was also available for free on a store shelf, no questions asked.
“During the pandemic, he saw a need and opportunity to put fresh food and warm bread in people’s bellies, but what he was really doing was bringing love into their homes,” said Nevill, who called the shock on Main Street “profound.”
“It’s such a loss. The inability of people to process it shows just how much he meant to the community,” the mayor added.
