PHOENIX - The mom of two young women whose lives were taken too soon, opens up to 12 News about her daughters' deaths.
Kelsey and Karli Richardson were killed when a wrong-way driver slammed into the car they were driving in on I-17, back on Good Friday.
There was a standing ovation for Cathy Hocking as she made the final steps to receive her daughter's diploma from Grand Canyon University on Thursday.
Hocking said the last time she saw her daughter was on Jan. 11, 2017.
“She said, 'Mom I love you, next time I see you I’ll be graduating.' "And I said I’m so proud of you my big girl and I hugged her and kissed her," Hocking said.
Thursday, Hocking joined hundreds of other GCU graduates who were wrapping up their college careers like Karli was planning to do.
“Karli just had a heart and Kelsey was right there with her and they loved people," Hocking said. "They both wanted to do nonprofit work.”
The sisters were killed instantly in the wrong-way crash on I-17. Since then, not a day passes where Hocking does not think about her girls. And now, this grieving mom continues her daughters' steps, keeping their inspirational memories alive.
If you'd like to donate to the memory of the Richardson sisters, click here.