Family, friends honor crash victims' legacies with foundation, scholarship

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Nearly a year after two Louisville mothers and their daughters were killed in a car crash, their loved ones are working to show it's possible something positive can come from such deep loss.

Lesley and Rhyan Prather and Carrie and Kacey McCaw were killed in a crash just outside of St. Louis while on their way to a volleyball tournament last February. Community members came out by the hundreds to honor them with a procession, showing how much of an impact they had on the lives they touched.

Lesley Prather was a Louisville firefighter and coached youth volleyball at KIVA. Carrie McCaw also coached. Both young girls were following in their mothers' footsteps and played for the club.

"As hard as it is to think about missing them and think about what we've lost, it feels good to think about them, because they did just bring joy," said Anne Kordes, who grew up with Carrie McCaw. They met in grade school, bonded over their love of sports and stayed close for decades.

"There's a lot of people that miss their best friend in Carrie McCaw, because she was just that to so many, including me," Kordes added. "I feel lucky to have had her."

To honor Carrie McCaw, her friends created a scholarship fund to send a St. Rapheal student to Assumption High School. McCaw loved her time at Assumption, Kordes said, and hoped her daughters would one day attend the school. Now, their legacies will allow other girls to have that experience.

"They did mean so much to so many people," Kordes said, "and this scholarship is going to allow us to celebrate them once a year."

The loss has been devastating to his family, but Terry Hall is also working to celebrate Lesley and Rhyan Prather, his sister-in-law and niece, respectfully.

"It was a nightmare, and it was the worst day of our lives," Hall said. "Every day it's hard. It's never not going to be hard, but at some point, you know, you have to go from grieving to 'How to we make this better?' And that's how the foundation kind of came about."

Hall started the Leslie and Rhyan Prather Foundation in their memory. Its work ranges from fundraising efforts to help other families dealing with tragedy to encouraging small acts of kindness.

"It's our goal; we carry that weight now, to make sure that no one ever forgets," Hall said. "We're just tired of being sad and want the focus to be on Lesley and Rhyan and the positive impact they had."

For information on how you can get involved with the Leslie and Rhyan Prather Foundation, click here. To donate to the scholarship fund in the McCaws' honor, contact Assumption High School at 502-458-6258 or click here.