A family is mourning a beloved mother of an 11-year-old after she tragically passed away in a riverboat accident. The woman fell into the Willamette River on September 1.
Sadly, the 34-year-old, Courtlyn Fricker, drowned during the accident at Molalla River State Park in Canby, Oregon. Her mother mourned her loss, saying she was struggling with her death.
"Losing a child is the most impossible thing I can think of," said Claudia Steiner-Fricker, Courtlyn Fricker's mother. "The hardest part for me was knowing she was in that water and we couldn't get her."
After she disappeared, it took search and rescue crews all week to find her. They finally found her body on Friday, about half a mile upstream. So what exactly happened? Her mother said was likely hit by a boat. "What they were able to share is that she was seated at the front of the boat with friends," said Claudia. "They told me that because the boat was in the middle of a turn she was likely hit by the boat and she went under and did not resurface."
She also memorialized her daughter as a wonderful single mother. She said that her daughter worked at the Dollar Store to support her 11-year-old Olivia. "Olivia was everything to her. She was her only child," said Claudia. "The two of them were like two peas in a pod, going out and doing fun things together."
Single Mother Dies
Meanwhile, the mother's daughter said that she would miss everything about her. "Just everything," said Olivia. "Just like her smile and stuff." Claudia described her daughter as caring and kind.
"She cared," said Claudia. "She was kind."
Claudia also wanted to express her gratitude to the authorities and those involved in the search for the missing mother. She said there are no words that she can express to say her thanks.
"And there were so many citizens and volunteers that put their boats in the water to find my daughter," said Claudia. "And there are just no words. There are not enough thanks that I can give these people for doing that. There just isn't."
