CLARKSVILLE, Ark. — A local community is trying to help a beloved family after tragedy struck this week in Clarksville.
Fatima Elizondo and her family were in a car accident Monday (Feb. 17). Her family survived, but Fatima did not.
The Elizondo family is beloved by many in Clarksville.
"We would plan school parties together and the teacher would tell me that we were gonna plan it together so I would call her to ask what we were gonna do and she would always say well I already have this and this done and so I was like okay so what else do you need me to get because he just always had preplanned done and it was the best," said Fatima's friend Jessie Stillwell.
Lud Elizondo is an assistant coach for the Clarksville High School soccer team and friends say Fatima was the model mother.
"She did anything for them. She wanted the best for them. She was at every event at school, parties, and at games, anything," Stillwell said.
Fatima, her husband and their children were in the car when they crashed Monday night near Gaither. Their car left the road and struck a tree.
Two of the children were injured with broken legs, but Fatima, unfortunately, died, leaving behind her family and friends.
Fatima Elizondo and family
"He called her his queen so they were just really good together," Stilwell said.
Fatima was just 32 years old.
"He's gonna have to be a single dad, and that's gonna take a lot of getting used to," Stillwell said.
The tragic loss struck the community and the Clarksville High School soccer team deeply.
"She was always at the away games not a lot of people travel to go see soccer but she was there and she had her chairs she had her kids and family, they were there to support Lud and the soccer team. I couldn't say enough good things about her," Bryan Qualls said.
Friends of the family say Fatima was a positive force everywhere she went and the community's response is a reflection of her influence on others.
"The community, by their giving, shows everyone how much they care about this family and what a quality family that they are," Qualls said.
The Clarksville High School soccer tournament will be having a fundraiser for Lud and his family.
Coach Qualls says the appreciation for Fatima and the Elizondo family can never be measured.
The family also has a GoFundMe page with over $30,000 donated so far.