The family of Laurel, Hannah, Zoey and Lucia Constantinides are gathering to share stories, tears and hugs as they remember four lives they say were filled with love and family.
“We are nothing short of devastated by this loss, and are doing all we can to begin to heal the immeasurable void they left behind,” Kyla Carlson, Laurel Constantinides’ sister, said in a statement Thursday.
Constantinides, 38, and her three daughters, Hannah, 8, Zoey, 5, and Lucia, 2, were killed when their van plunged into a 9-foot-deep chasm in the road and plunged into the swollen Brush Creek.
Alex Constantinides was driving the white Volkswagen van when it hit the 25-foot-wide washout. He was the only member of the Colorado Springs family to survive.
Constantinides later forged 30 yards upstream and helped pull another man out of his truck, after he drove into the same washout.
“Hannah, Zoe and Lucy were cherished by those who knew them,” Carlson said. “Their light was so bright and it shone for us all, if only for a short time.”
Carlson said her sister had a “vibrant and unsinkable soul” and loved being a mother to her daughters.
Alex and Laurel Constantinides adopted their three daughters, Hannah and Zoey from China and Lucia from Korea.
“They opened their home and all of our hearts to the purest form of love that can exist on this earth,” Carlson said. “It was a leap of faith, an act of courageous love, and a wonderful opportunity for us all to expand our definition of family.”
Family and friends are gathering in Wheatland. Alex Constantinides’ parents are en route to the small Wyoming town, as well.
Tentative plans for a funeral service were made for early next week in Wheatland, and an additional memorial was planned in Colorado Springs for later this week.
The family is asking that memorial donations be made to Half the Sky Foundation, a charity focused on improving conditions for children in Chinese orphanages. Donations can be made at .
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
