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Things looked normal at the Perez home in College Station on Friday. A vehicle was in the driveway, clothes were drying on a line in the backyard, toys were scattered across the yard and cats were patiently waiting by the front door.
Nothing about the home's exterior offered any indication that the family of five wouldn't be returning.
Ismael Perez, 41, Minerva Perez, 37, Josefina Perez, 4, Celeste Perez, 5, and Jeanette Perez, 7, died in a head-on collision with another vehicle Thursday afternoon near Normangee.
A state Department of Public Safety trooper said Amy Wise, 28, was driving west on OSR when she crossed the center stripe and collided with the family's pickup.
Wise, of Centerville, was taken by helicopter to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Bryan, where she remained in fair condition Friday.
No charges have been filed against Wise, Trooper Felipe Garcia said, and the case is still under investigation.
Ismael and Minerva Perez were wearing seat belts. Their three children were not and neither was Wise, officials said.
Epifania Rivera, the sister of Ismael Perez, said she was close to her brother and last saw him at a family wedding Oct. 4.
"My heart is broken," she said. "They were good parents. He was very compassionate. When you needed something, he supplied it."
Rivera said her brother loved to cook and always had a meal prepared when he had company over.
Neighbor Janie Hoffman said the family loved hosting barbecues and always invited neighbors over.
"They were the best friends anybody could have had," she said. "They treated us like part of the family."
Hoffman said she and Minerva Perez used to wait together by the bus stop for their children after school. She said she's used to seeing the Perez children be the last ones off the bus.
"You didn't see them come off today," she said.
The family was always doing nice things for others, another neighbor said. She said Ismael Perez brought her a rose last Valentine's Day because she is a single mother, and when she asked him if Minerva Perez knew, he said of course, she had encouraged him to do it.
"He was the kind of guy who would always lend a helping hand," said Antonio Campo, a friend of the family.
Campo said when he met Ismael Perez about three years ago, the two did not have their life on track and were getting into trouble. He said Ismael Perez started going to church a year ago and encouraged Campo to do the same. Campo said Ismael Perez changed his life for the better over the past year and had truly become a great husband and father.
"Some people have to lie when they get up at funerals and say the person was great," he said. "I'm not going to have to do that because it's not a lie. He really was a great man."
Enrique Hernandez, pastor at Templo Sulamito, said he had been able to get to know the family well since they started attending the church about a year ago.
"They were God-loving people," he said. "They got along with everybody. The girls were beautiful and very smart, very respectful. The congregation is taking this very hard."
All three girls attended Southwood Valley Elementary School in College Station. The youngest was a student in the Head Start program, and the older sisters were in kindergarten and second grade.
A crisis team was sent to the school Friday morning.
Chrissy Hester, director of student services for the district, said counselors went into the girls' classrooms and told classmates what had happened. Other students were sent home with a letter informing parents what had happened.
She said the students reacted in different ways. Some cried, others were confused and many asked questions.
Rivera said while she someday may be able to forgive Wise, she will never be able to forget. She said she hopes this incident will encourage young people to be responsible drivers.
"What she did to us is going to be there forever," Rivera said. "We lost five, and they're never coming back."
