Families say North Richland Hills neighbors killed in crash had ‘incredible bond’
Two North Richland Hills neighbors described as “two peas in a pod” were killed in a crash involving an 18-wheeler on the Northeast Loop 820 Expressway last week.
The women, 72-year-old Collette Morrissey and 52-year-old Somloudee Roberts, died on June 2, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The 18-wheeler and a sedan the two women were riding in were involved in the crash about 12:30 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of Loop 820 near Holiday Lane, North Richland Hills police said in a news release.
The North Richland Hills Fire Department extricated Morrissey and Roberts from the car, and both of them were pronounced dead at the scene from blunt force injuries, police said.
The investigation is ongoing, but no criminal charges are expected to be filed, according to police.
An incredible bond
Roberts, also known as Cookie, and Morrissey were friends and neighbors with an “incredible bond; unfortunately for us, God decided to call two of the best people at the same time, but we were blessed to spend time with them,” family members wrote in an online obituary.
Morrissey greeted each day “joyously with a hearty good morning, always curious about what the day would bring,” her family wrote in an online obituary.
The women spent their days working together on landscaping and maintenance projects, alternating between their homes to keep the work enjoyable, according to the obituaries.
Family and friends meant the world to Morrissey, an active member of her community who enjoyed monthly Bunco games, stayed connected through neighborhood texts, and cherished every moment spent with her loved ones, her obituary stated.
Morrissey was passionate about traveling the world and taking photographs, often capturing memories until her camera ran out of battery.
An online obituary described Roberts as a “devoted wife, loving mother, cherished daughter, sister, aunt, and friend whose kindness and vibrant spirit touched the lives of all who knew her.”
She enjoyed cooking for loved ones, gardening, crafting, family vacations and playing games that brought people together, the post read.
Roberts’ aura was “unmatched” and “her kindness and confidence exuded in every setting and was always there to organize and start the fun no matter what the setting,” her obituary says.
“If there was music at a celebration, you could bet she was rounding up the girls to be first on the dance floor. She was magnetic and people were drawn to it.”