In the early morning hours of July 8th my sister, Leigh Ann, lost her husband and the wonderful father to their 5 children. Robert was only 39 years old and while we still don't know what happened for sure, it was likely a heart attack. Leigh Ann tried with everything in her to save him, performing CPR until the ambulance could get there but he never came back. This was very sudden / unexpected - and of course extremely traumatic for the entire family.

He was a wonderful father who was so goofy and that "spark of fun" for his children. As Leigh Ann puts it, he was definitely "the favorite parent"! These two people, Leigh Ann and Robert, have faced a tremendous amount of struggle in their lives. They have overcome together... from very dark places most of us will never understand. They scratched, clawed, worked hard and dug their way back to create a beautiful life together.

They built a busy landscaping business that they work together and that kept their family provided for. However, now that Robert is gone it will be nearly impossible for Leigh Ann to keep this going on her own while raising the kids. My sister is (and always has been) a proud woman who never asks anyone for anything but I know how much help she is going to need as they pick up the pieces and try to move forward without the emotional, physical and financial support that Robert provided.

Any help that you can provide will be so very appreciated!! We have reached out to local churches and counseling services to see what we can do for them - any suggestions or advice you can provide will be very welcome as well. They live in the Salt Lake City area. We don't know much about this area so it would be very helpful to know what resources are available to them.

Thank you to anyone who can help, whether it is financial or through prayers for all of them. They are going to need a lot of love and support in the days to come.