A year ago, Rev. Ty Schenzel, founder of the Hope Center for Kids in Omaha, and his wife Terri, died in a tragic car crash. Traveling with them, were Ryan and Emily Hrubes. Their vehicle was hit head-on by a car going on in the opposite direction, leaving Emily Hrubes as the only survivor.
The Schenzel’s oldest daughter, Emily Lanphier, says it’s been a year of many changes, but one thing that remains the same is her parents’ legacy.
“You know, in a lot of ways, it feels like it just happened the other day. And then of course, parts of it feel like, that was a lifetime ago,” says Lanphier.
Emily Lanphier says there's not a day that goes by she and her three siblings don't think about their parents and the extraordinary legacy they left behind.
"We're glad more than ever that there are four of us because there are different part of each one of us, that I feel will reflect mom and dad- their personality or their temperament.”
Lanphier says losing her parents has been difficult and painful, yet seeing the outpouring support and encouragement her family received in wake of such a tragedy has been uplifting.
"I always knew my parents were extraordinary, but seeing the response after their passing, is like, I don't even think they fully knew the impact they had on others and I certainly wasn't aware to the extent,” says Lanphier.
Ty and Terri Schenzel impacted their four children, too, while leaving a mark on Omaha as pastors, mentors, speakers, and friends.
"I cannot think of one - one stone they left unturned so to speak. They invested in everyone they met and in many different areas of society here in Omaha,” adds Lanphier.
Lanphier says the work at the Hope Center for Kids, the Fremont Hope Center, and the Ty and Terry Schenzel Street are a part of a permanent legacy.
"To know that they're not forgotten and that, what they're doing is still carrying on through today, is simply magical.”
