Friends, family support daughters of woman killed in crash near Downers Grove
Relatives of a woman who died this month during a crash near Downers Grove have launched an online fundraiser to support her two daughters.
Marquisa Morris and Jermaine Morris were killed on the night of Nov. 7 while crossing Belmont Road, just west of the intersection at Maple Avenue in unincorporated DuPage County.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing. No charges have been filed, according to the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.
Marquez Brown created a GoFundMe page to help raise money for Marquisa Morris’s two daughters, Unique, 25, and Jessica, 19.
“We are all trying to get through it together,” said Marquez Brown, who is Marquisa Morris’s cousin.
Brown said he decided to create the GoFundMe because he couldn’t imagine losing his own mom at such a young age.
“It makes me realize how much folks rely on their parents,” Brown said.
The GoFundMe has raised more than $14,000.
“I have been overwhelmed by the response in such a short amount of time,” Brown said.
Brown said his family will miss the support Morris offered during tough times.
When the family lost their grandmother about a month ago, it was “Marquisa and her two daughters who were helping my mom through the process,” Brown said.
“This is a double hit in our family,” he added. “Marquisa was always the one trying to make sure everyone was OK.”
The two cousins were extremely close — even sharing similar first names.
“My mom and her mom are sisters, and my mom always wanted a daughter. It never happened, but she did get to name Marquisa,” he said.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to support her daughters’ living expenses as well as her younger daughter’s college tuition.
Meanwhile, Brown said family members still want to know “what happened.”
“Our family, her daughters, deserve to know,” he said.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Nov. 29 at God’s Heritage Full Gospel Ministries, 1200 S. 5th Ave., Maywood.
To donate to the fundraiser, visit the “Support for Jessica & Unique After Loss” page at gofundme.com.