Dozens wept and embraced before releasing scores of balloons Saturday over north Minneapolis to remember two community pillars who were killed in a fiery car crash.
‘They’re in good hands': Balloon release honors north Minneapolis crash victims
Family and friends shared tears and memories of Esther Fulks and Rose Reece, who died after another car crashed with theirs at a North Side intersection.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
December 21, 2024 at 11:48PM
The crowd gathered near 26th and Emerson avenues to remember Esther Jean Fulks, 53, and Rose Elaine Reece, 57. They died on Dec. 16 when Teniki Latrice Elise Steward, 38, allegedly drove through a red light and struck their vehicle. A teenager waiting at a nearby bus stop also was injured.
Authorities investigating the fiery crash say Steward was unlicensed and possibly under the influence of a controlled substance. She was charged with criminal vehicular homicide and was being held at the Hennepin County jail.
Fulks and Reese “gave their love and their hard work and dedication to the community. And as you can see, there’s people out here for them,” said Fulks’ daughter, D’Nia. “I’m going to miss my mom. That was my world, I was with her day in and day out. I was hoping to come home to my mom, and it didn’t happen.”
“It means a lot,” Fulks’ son, Joseph Loyd, said of the neighbors attending the balloon release. “It shows what they contributed to the community and how much they meant to people. Not just their own families, but they touched countless other families and helped people.”
Family and friends said Fulks and Reece were pillars of the community who treated strangers like family and brought love to those around them. Both had worked as navigators for the Minneapolis Cultural Wellness Center since 1998, helping residents with food, clothing, shelter and other resources.
“They reminded us daily of the transformative power of service, love and cultural connection,” Elder Atum Azzahir, the center’s executive director, said in a statement. “They were not just navigators: They were beacons of hope, guiding people toward brighter futures.”
At the crash scene Saturday, loved ones embraced as they shed tears and shared memories. Anthony Hamilton’s “I Can’t Let Go” played as passing motorists called out condolences and words of support. Caution tape strung from a traffic cone near the intersection fluttered in the wind.
Family and friends plan to return to the site for a vigil at 1 p.m. Sunday.
“Rose used to cook [for] anybody,” longtime friend Kesa Johnson said. “She didn’t even have to know them [but would ask], ‘Are you hungry? You want a plate?’ ... It most definitely is a devastating loss.”
After prayer by the Rev. James McAfee, people released their balloons with shouts of “I love you! Bye!” and “I’m going to miss y’all!”
And Sharita Catchings wept.
Catchings met Fulks and Reece in 1998, and they became fast friends, sharing years of shenanigans, parties and road trips. She said she hopes others remember her friends as people who helped bring the community together.
“They are in good hands, believe me they are,” Catchings said through her tears. “Even though we miss them as much as we miss [them], they were good to everyone that’s ever been a part of their lives.”
Family and friends shared tears and memories of Esther Fulks and Rose Reece, who died after another car crashed with theirs at a North Side intersection.
