LIVE OAK, Fla. – A 76-year-old mother, celebrated for her selflessness, and her two young adopted daughters were tragically killed in a head-on collision in Lake City, leaving a grieving family to remember their shared compassion and love.
Carolyn Raper, 7-year-old Sophia and 5-year-old Faith Ann were involved in a head-on crash on State Road 90 days after Raper’s birthday and right before Thanksgiving Day.
Raper, who has two grown biological daughters named Carolyn Ann Townsend and Tammy Bell, stepped up to the plate and adopted Sophia and Faith Ann -- becoming a young mother later in life.
“Nobody would turn a baby away. Nobody in their right mind would turn a baby away,” Bell said.
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Raper took the girls in because their biological family was unable to take care of them.
“He gets a phone call from someone that she knows, and that person said, ‘Hey, my son and his girlfriend had a baby girl. And because of drugs, they can not take the child home from the hospital,” Townsend said. “If, you can’t take her, then the system will come and get her.”
Townsend said the girls loved Raper like a mother and didn’t know that they were adopted.
“Even though my parents were older, they never figured out this is not my mom and my dad,” Townsend said.
The viewing for the three victims is Tuesday night, and their funerals will be held on Wednesday at First Assembly of God Church in Live Oak.
“I asked for them all to be together so all in one casket. I said I want my mom to have one girl in each arm,” Townsend said.
The family also started a GoFundMe to assist with financial expenses. Click here to donate.