'They'll never really be gone as long as we remember them': Friend says of family who died in camper fire
Family and friends are struggling to come to terms with the unimaginable loss felt by everyone in the community after a couple and four children died in a camper fire on Sunday.
"They'll never really be gone -- as long as we remember them," said Tanya McManaman, whose daughter was a close friend of one of the children who died.
The memorial in the family's hometown continued to grow Tuesday as people stopped by to pay their respects to the young lives lost.
Michelle Robertson, 28, and her partner Robert Jorge (R.J.) Sears, 30, died with four children: Madison, 11; Robert Ryder, 8; Jaxson, 4; and Colin J. (C.J.), 3.
Among those paying their respects was Aaralyn McManaman, who was Madison's best friend.
"It felt like she was the one who was always going to be there for me. Which was true. She never left my side and she was such a good friend and I never had any other friend like that."
The family of six is being remembered as always being full of love and filled with laughter.
Michelle Robertson's aunt Nellie Lloy says her niece and RJ Sears were dedicated parents who loved all four children immensely.
"R.J. was a beautiful dad," said Lloy. "His whole purpose was to go to work and provide for that family. Michelle was a stay-at-home mom as long as she could, and every day it was about 'How do we make it better and how do we do better?'"
Lloy says the four children were known to bring joy everywhere they went.
Of 11-year-old Madison, Lloy said: "Maddy was involved with so many people at school and she involved herself in sports."
Of eight-year-old Ryder, she said: "There's a depth to that little boy's heart. I was just sitting thinking Sunday morning, I just wonder what his life is going to be because he's just so big and so kind-spirited."
Of four-year-old Jaxson Lloy said: "His nickname is Action Jaxson -- he's so animated."
And finally, three-year-old C.J. never missed a thing, Lloy said.
"He had everybody all figured out," she said.
As for the investigation into the fire, Lloy says she hasn't received much information, but was told that the family was found together.
"The two babies, that's what it looked like, they looked peaceful," Lloy said. "The two babies were in Michelle's arms and the two oldest close by with their dad."
Robertson's family says they're overwhelmed by the support pouring in from their community.
There are multiple community fundraisers started to help cover the cost of things such as funeral expenses, with one group raising more than $11,000 so far.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.