AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Friends, family and the Aurora community gathered on Monday night to remember the life of a father and husband suddenly killed. Jason Lyman and his two dogs were victims of a hit-and-run crash last week near Horizon Park.
Emotions ran high as an estimated 150 people came together days after the crash to cherish the good times and mourn together. Below the Horizon Park sign was a growing flower memorial for Lyman and man’s best friend, his dogs.
Friends shared that Lyman worked the overnight shift from home and part of his normal routine was to walk his dogs in the wee hours of the morning. On Aug. 5 around 2:30 a.m., the 41-year-old was walking on the sidewalk when he and his dogs were hit by a driver and killed.
Loved ones have set up a fundraiser for the family for funeral expenses and the children, sharing Lyman worked and his wife stayed at home.
During an investigation, the Aurora Police Department learned that a driver in a Toyota Sequoia was traveling southbound on South Reservoir Road, south of East Mansfield Avenue, then left the road and hit a pedestrian and two dogs on the sidewalk.
‘Why would the person just leave?’
Jeremy and Amanda Stolte are good friends of the Lyman family.
“You took someone really good, really good from us,” Amanda Stolte said. “He was an amazing person.”
Monday night was a hard and emotional one full of tears and hugs as it starts to set in for many that a father and husband is gone.
“Knowing that we’re not going to be able to do anything with him ever again or see him again, that’s the hardest,” Jeremy Stolte said.
In the blink of an eye, three children are now without a father and a wife is now a widow. Amanda Stolte told FOX31 that the couple has been together since they were just 15 years old when they met in high school. She described their love as inspiring and said they were inseparable.
“It’s so heartbreaking,” Amanda Stolte sobbed. “It also kills me that I can’t fix this for her. I can’t take this away and I can’t make this right for her.”
As the community mourned, they shared stories of Lyman and held candles. Many chose to remember his laughter and light, but many also want answers.
“Why would the person just leave?” Jeremy Stolte said. “I get it, fight or flight, you’re scared, but just come forward and give this family some closure.”
Aurora Police say there are no new developments to share as of Monday night. However, FOX31 is expected to get an update from authorities on Tuesday.