A couple will formally say goodbye on Saturday to their two daughters who were killed in a collision less than one km from their Olds-area farm.

A public service will be held for Sarah Olsen, 6, and her sister Amber, 2, at Olds First Baptist Church at 1:30 p.m.

The church is expected to be packed as relatives and friends pay respects to the girls, who died last Friday afternoon after a shopping trip to Red Deer.

Their mother Shauna, 38, and 16-year-old brother Michael survived the two-vehicle crash at a rural intersection just north of Olds. They were taken to hospital and released a short time later.

Shauna’s 38-year-old husband David was working on the farm.

Extended family from Alberta and British Columbia have since come to the Olsens’ aid.

“We’re getting organized and doing things for the service on Saturday,” said Mike Taylor, uncle to David.

“We laugh at some of the stories and we cry, but that is the grieving process. We’re working through them as a family.”

Taylor recounted how special these girls were to everyone who met them.

Sarah particularly loved ladybugs. She drew pictures of them in kindergarten class. One day, she found a nest of them.

“She said, ‘Be careful, don’t step on them,’” Taylor said. “She was very caring and she really cared for her younger sister. She was like a mother to her.”

Sarah also built a little combine out of blocks of wood. Recently, she and her grandmother set up a “for sale” stand of raspberries.

“And Amber was just starting to get a personality of her own,” Taylor said. “She did a lot of things with her mom and dad, and also with her grandma and grandpa, spending a lot of time outdoors with them.”

And Michael loved his little sisters, too.

“He looked out for them,” Taylor said.

People are welcome to donate to the Children’s Summer Ministries Fund and the Gull Lake Camp Scholarship in memory of the girls. Both are offered through First Baptist Church.

“David and Shauna are all about children and now they want to help other people’s kids,” Taylor said.

Taylor thanked the community of Olds for its support as well. The Olsen farm has been in the family for five generations and received a 100-year award in 1993.

“It is a well-known family here,” Taylor said.

David is an engineer for Red Deer’s Crimtech Services and also works on his cattle and grain farm. Shauna runs a home-based business.

When asked about the crash, Taylor encouraged drivers to take care on the road.

“One split second can cause a lifetime of grief,” Taylor said.

Olds RCMP are continuing to investigate the crash.

Police say the Olsen family car was westbound on Township Road 334 when it collided with a southbound sport utility vehicle at Range Road 14.

Cpl. Jeff Jacobson said part of the investigation includes interviewing the mother.

Police believe she may have driven through a yield sign, Jacobson said.

Contact Laura Tester at ltester@reddeeradvocate.com.