FORT KENT, Maine — As family and friends continue to come to terms with the four deaths in Monday’s northern Maine head-on collision, funerals and memorial services have been scheduled with additional fundraising efforts begun online.
Kimberly Lausier, 38, of Madawaska; Bobbi-Jo Johnston, 33, of Fort Fairfield; Johnston’s 2-year-old daughter, Alana A. Nelson; and Johnston’s mother, Laurie Ann Johnston, 52, of Carlingford, New Brunswick, were killed Monday morning after Lausier attempted to pass a tractor-trailer and her SUV struck Johnston’s car head-on, according to the Maine State Police.
Robert Lausier, 53, who was a passenger in the SUV, survived and was taken to Cary Medical Center in Caribou and subsequently transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor where he continues to recover from serious injuries to his lower extremities, according to Stacie Coltart, a friend of the family.
On Wednesday he underwent surgery for a shattered pelvis and internal injuries, Coltart said Thursday.
In an effort to help the Lausier family with funeral, medical and other expenses, Coltart has started a GoFundMe page, which had raised $6,175 by early Thursday afternoon.
A GoFundMe page also was started for the Johnstons and had raised $565 by Thursday.
Amanda Graham Brewer began the page in memory of her friend Bobbi-Jo Johnston, she said Thursday.
“Bobbi and I attended [hairdressing] school together,” Brewer said. “She was one of my greatest friends, [and] I know how much funerals cost and wanted to help the family.”
The Johnstons also were involved in horsemanship and owned several horses, and Brewer said some of the money raised is targeted to taking care of their pets.
“A lot of their friends from as far as Florida and Texas have contacted me about what will happen to the horses,” Brewer said. “We want to raise money to help.”
An online jewelry sale fundraiser kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday organized by Tammy Closson of Fort Fairfield.
“I first met Laurie-Ann back when the local Marden’s store opened. We became close friends and co-workers, [and] we got close through our love of animals,” Closson said. “Her daughter, Bobbi-Jo, was my hairdresser, [and she] had just cut my hair on Friday, and we were laughing about how her horses got out that morning before she had to go to work.”
Shoppers can participate in the jewelry sale via Facebook.
Funerals for Bobbi-Jo Johnston, 2-year-old Alana and Johnston’s mother, Laurie Ann Johnston, are scheduled for 1 p.m. (U.S. time) Saturday at Brunswick Funeral Home in Perth-Andover, New Brunswick. Visitations are scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
On Monday, a memorial celebrating the lives of the three generations of the Johnston family is planned at the Celebration Center in Fort Fairfield with visitations beginning at 11 a.m. and a memorial service at 1 p.m. Arrangements are being made by Giberson-Dorsey Funeral Home.
Kim Lausier’s funeral Mass is set for 10 a.m. Saturday at the St. David Church in Madawaska. Visitations are scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Lajoie Funeral Home in Madawaska. The obituary for Lausier, who was 8 months pregnant, refers to both Lausier “and her unborn daughter, Corinne.”
While two families prepare for the funerals, police in Madawaska continue to investigate a break-in at Robert and Kim Lausiers’ Madawaska home Monday after the crash in which someone stole an unspecified quantity of medical marijuana.
The police have several suspects in the case, but as of Thursday afternoon, no arrests had been made and they are seeking the public’s help.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Madawaska Police Department at 728-6356.
Star-Herald writer Kathy McCarty contributed to this report.
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