Tragically, Taylor Stithem and Sara Papila lost their lives in a car crash just months before celebrating their first wedding anniversary.
The head-on collision occurred at the intersection of Hunt Highway and McQueen Road on Jan. 18, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Taylor’s older brother, Adam Stithem, was left picking up the pieces.
“They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Adam Stithem said. “Two souls taken away too soon.”
Married last year, the two shared a love for gaming ― both in person and online ― and for their neighborhood. Adam Stithem said he was surprised and impressed by the safe and welcoming presence the couple had in their community.
“We (Adam Stithem and his wife) were hanging out with Taylor and Sara and got to meet a whole bunch of their best friends that are in their apartment complex,” Adam Stithem said. “All these kids rolled up to us and were like, ‘What’s up man? How are you?’ I don’t know what he had with those kids and that neighborhood. It is just amazing.”