The mother in a family that agreed to give up Christmas so she could go to England to bury her father then lost her husband, and the family's sole means of support, in a crash on I-80 as he rode to work.
49-year-old Tim Arias is a father of five kids, one of them grown with four kids of her own, and a few that are still at home with their mom, Emma. The Arias family lives in West Sacramento even though Tim worked at a refinery in Martinez because that's what they could afford. Tim died in that crash along the route he traveled for 18 years with no savings in the bank and life insurance Tim's sister, Cecilia Dennis, says they just set up but wouldn't have taken effect until January.
"It means that they don't have those things to fall back on," Dennis says, "There's no savings...we've got to figure it out from here." Dennis says even in death, Tim is still making an impact on the people who know and love him, "He leaves behind exactly what matters, and that is how you make people feel, and love, and family and all the stuff that really matters in life." (Photo courtesy of Emma Arias/Facebook)
Dennis says what mattered to Tim was relationships, which is why they didn't care Christmas wouldn't come with presents, but now they need help with his funeral expenses not to mention bills and a mortgage his wife has no way to pay. Tim's friends at West Sacramento's Southport Church have set up a Go Fund Me account if you'd like to help.