Three children are orphans after two fatal crashes in the span of eight months claimed the lives of both of their parents.
A family friend said Marc-Andre Helie, 36, was the man killed in a crash on Anthony Henday Drive near Yellowhead Trail on Saturday morning when he hit a deer.
He was treated on scene but died from his injuries a short time later in hospital.
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Tragically, Helie’s wife, Stephanie Stuetz, 28, died last year, one kilometre away on the Henday, friend Darlene Reid posted on her Facebook page.
Reid said the couple had three children, all under the age of 10, who are now living with their grandmother, Stuetz’s mother, Deborah Stuetz.
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“The family requests that at this time our privacy be respected in the best interest of the children,” Stuetz wrote in a statement.
“This is a hard time for all of us, and with a second tragedy will forever impact all of our lives. We are blessed that we can continue to see a part of Marc-Andre and Stephanie continue to blossom and grow in their children.”
The three children along with their grandmother are attending grief counselling, Reid said.
Helie’s parents are scheduled to fly in later this week.