It's hard enough for a child to lose one parent, but the loss can seem almost insurmountable when both a mother and father pass away in rapid succession.
That's the fate that befell four College Station brothers -- all under the age of 15 -- who lost their mother, Kim Flowers, in October and whose father, Nolan Flowers, died earlier this month.
Kim was just 34, and the cause of her death has not been determined. Nolan, who was 42, suffered a fatal heart attack.
Kim Flowers' mother, Susan Solich, says the boys are coping, but she worries about the long-term effects of the loss.
"The tragedy is four little boys losing their parents," the grandmother said.
But the double blow has been softened somewhat by the outpouring of support for the four Flowers children -- 14-year-old Brandon, 12-year-old Justin, 9-year-old Tyler and 6-year-old Conner.
Solich said the way people have pitched in to help her grandchildren has been "unbelievable."
That was amply demonstrated on Saturday, when 50 to 70 people showed up at the Flowers' house to help prepare it to be sold.
"They did everything from planting flowers, cleaning the garage, I mean everything, Solich said. "They cleaned the freezer, rearranged things, scrubbed floors, fixed broken lights -- it's just unbelievable."
Nolan Flowers worked in information technology at Texas A&M University, and the school has "just cradled us and taken such good care of us -- everything from meals to cash donations," said Solich. "The people over there are phenomenal."
After people began sending in cash donations, Solich set up a bank account whose funds will be dedicated to helping her move the boys to Colorado to live with her.
The two youngest boys attend Forest Ridge Elementary, and principal Terresa Katt says the school's community has been eager to help.
"Our teachers have spent a lot of time with the boys, taking them to the places they need to go and just checking on them and staying very well connected to them," Katt said.
Teachers and students also have taken up a collection for the family and the PTO has made a "substantial" contribution for the children, Katt said.
"With elementary students, this is a really hard thing for them to understand," she said. "It's a way for our kiddos to help a couple of their friends who are experiencing a difficult time in their life."
Katt said she's staging special events to help lift spirits, such as a "Hat Day" on Wednesday, a "favorite college T-shirt day" on Thursday and a "Pajama Day" on Friday, and teachers can also donate money one day to wear blue jeans to school. Staff and teachers have also provided meals for the family.
"This is unbelievable. To really try and imagine what goes through the mind and hearts of a kindergartener and a fourth-grader ... It seems small but at the same time these are things we can physically do to help," Katt said.
Lori Enzor, whose son, Nathan, is a classmate of Tyler Flowers, said the deaths of Kim and Nolan Flowers were sobering.
"I have three boys, and I think it hit home to me," she said. "They are just the most well-behaved, polite kids you'll ever meet."
Kim Flowers' death was sad, but once Nolan passed away Enzor knew the boys would need help. She helped recruit the volunteers who worked to spruce up the family home on Saturday.
The house was "in pretty bad shape, as I'm sure would be my house if I died and my husband would be here with three boys," Enzor said.
The Lowe's in Bryan donated mulch, flowers and sage plants to improve the yard, and Kenny W. Melesky of KM Custom Homes in College Station donated paint and carpet as well as labor, she said.
To help the Flowers family:
* Join the Facebook group CS Peeps 1 for more information
* Donate a meal to the children by contacting Staci Hazlett at shazlett@archmail.tamu.edu.
* Donate to a savings account set up for the children at Bank of America.
Make checks payable to Susan Solich at Bank of America, 111 University Drive E. College Station, TX 77840. Account No. 586023930684; Wire routing No. 026009593.
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