Coping with unimaginable loss, Al Cheverier is the last surviving member of his family.
"It's been a rough life," he said.
Cheverier and his wife were a tight-knit family of five. Their three kids were named Ty, Tayna, and Tricia.
For Cheverier, a 25-year veteran and former First Sergeant with the Connecticut National Guard, it has been a long road of grief.
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In 2005, Cheverier lost his son to cancer. In 2010, he lost his daughter in a motorcycle crash. Two years later, his wife passed away from cancer.
Most recently, on New Year's Eve, Cheverier lost his daughter Tricia. When she was on a drive to the grocery store in Southwick, Massachusetts, she was hit head-on.
"They were all good kids. You know, I worked with my son. He had a landscaping business, and I did all the repairs. My daughter, Tayna, she loved music. We had a few drinks together. We partied, danced. I loved Motown music and stuff, and Tricia did, too," said Cheverier.
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Cheverier often called Tricia his "baby girl."
"She was going for a master's degree in nursing. She was just awesome. She was awesome," said Cheverier.
Tricia leaves behind her husband and two teenage daughters, one of whom has special needs.
"She's up all night and my son-in-law has to be up with her. So, we're in a bind, and we don't know what we're going to do," said Cheverier.
But support is out there. Having grown up with Cheverier's son, the co-owner of TJ's Burritos in East Granby created a fundraiser.
That fundraiser, along with others in the community, generated $65,257 in a matter of days, and it continues to grow.
Earlier this month, the restaurant donated proceeds to the family.
"To see people coming out and supporting us in that way and enjoying what we're putting forward is rewarding," said Stefan Drago, TJ's Burritos executive chef and partner.
Tricia's father said he spends a lot of time now with his granddaughters. Allie and Paityn. He said he's also busy fixing up a home so that he, his son-in-law, and his grandchildren can all live together.
Those interested can make a contribution online or at TJ's Burritos in East Granby. A donation jar is located at the front.
