A memorial service has been scheduled for the Round Lake man and his teen daughter who were killed last week when their small plane crashed in Florida.
The joint memorial service will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Cultural and Civic Center in Round Lake Beach, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. A funeral mass will also be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. at St. Bede Church in Ingleside.
Family friend Angel Bixby-Early also said a candlelight vigil will be held for the family at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at North Valley Lakes Park in Round Lake.
Last Saturday, Katherine Bronken and her father were on their way to Florida for a spring break getaway. Katherine brought along her softball teammate, Keyana Linbo, who could barely contain her excitement. “T-24 hours=paradise,” Keyana wrote on Twitter earlier in the week.
But their journey ended in disaster about eight miles short of their destination, the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, when their plane crashed about 4 a.m. in Clearwater, killing Katherine’s father, 53-year-old Jeffrey Bronken. The girls, both 15, were rushed to an area hospital, authorities said at the time.
Katherine Bronken died Wednesday afternoon as a result of the injuries she suffered during the crash, Pinellas County Sgt. David DiSano told the Sun-Times.
Linbo remained hospitalized in “stable” condition.
“It’s hard to fathom, everybody is still in shock,” said Round Lake resident and family friend Ken Hoxie. “It’s a big loss to this neighborhood.”
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.
