LITTLETON, Colo.—A woman who lost her husband and son to a powerful tornado in Oklahoma said Thursday the two storm chasers will leave a legacy.
Kathy Samaras spoke at a memorial service for Tim Samaras, 54, and his son, Paul, 24, in the Denver suburb of Littleton.
They were killed May 31 when a powerful tornado near El Reno, Okla., turned on them as they were conducting research. Colleague Carl Young, 45, also was killed.
Samaras told mourners her husband was her best friend, KMGH-TV in Denver reported ( ).
“I felt like Cinderella for the 31 years I was married to him,” she said. “Tim lived a fairytale life to be able to storm chase. Tim and Paul are going to leave a legacy. Good things are going to come from this.”
Tim Samaras lived in Bennett and was one of the stars of the Discovery Channel’s “Storm Chasers.” Paul worked with his father as a videographer.
Paul Samaras’ sisters called him selfless and noted how their father had served as a Girl Scout leader.
The elder Samaras had been fascinated with tornados since watching “The Wizard of Oz” as a child. His colleagues knew him to be a careful planner, spending hours developing safe escape routes and rendezvous points before chasing a tornado.
“We chase because it’s important to better understand these storms,” KMGH-TV meteorologist Mike Nelson said at the memorial service. “The data is crucial to issue faster and more accurate warnings. We know because seconds save lives.”
Nelson said he would like to think “Tim, Paul and Carl now have the very best vantage point possible to watch the storms.”
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Information from: KMGH-TV,
