COXS CREEK, Ky. — The morning after Christmas, Susan Houston lost her mother and her daughter in a car crash on New Shepherdsville Road in Coxs Creek.
Kentucky State Police say 70-year-old Jaqueline 'Jackie' Houston turned off of Dietersville Road and into traffic around 11 a.m. Sunday. She and her granddaughter Makalyn Rae Hill died in the crash.
"She would have been sixteen next week," Hill's mom Susan Houston said.
Hill's sister, Kelsey Houston, said, "She was my built-in babysitter. That's what I called her."
Makalyn's family said she had dreams of going to the University of Iowa to study automotive engineering. "She would've done so much," her sister said.
As for Grandma Jackie, she's well remembered from the porch she loved. "Her and my dad were called the porch people because this is where they spent their time," her son Randy Houston said, sitting beside his mom's rocking chair which remains untouched.
Susan said if anyone sat in her mom's seat they were told to move. "I don't have a clue why, but that was her chair and we just didn't sit in it," she said.
Keepsakes like that, and a stuffed dog Makalyn held tight every night remind them of the ones they lost.
"It's almost like Makalyn's right here," Susan said.
The Houstons are hoping their tragedy can save others. In addition to donations for burials, they're asking for something else.
"I have an addiction to drugs and alcohol," Susan explained. She received treatment from Addiction Recovery Care and credits them for extra years with her mother and daughter.
"Makalyn and my mama both were so grateful for that program," she said. "[It] completely turned my life around."
The program, which Susan still works with, is currently running a coat drive. You can send donations to 2735 Bardstown Rd, St Catharine, KY 40061. You can also donate online here. If you'd like to send a check, you can make it payable to Addiction Recovery Care. Here is their website.
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