Foundation Helping Teen Depression Honors Grace And Brian Loncar
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A grieving family hopes some good can come from a high-profile tragedy.
Popular Dallas attorney Brian Loncar was found dead this weekend just day's after his teenage daughter's suicide. Now his name along with his daughter's will live on with a foundation to help young people struggling with depression.
It's hard for most to imagine the pain of losing both a child and a spouse, but Loncar's widow, Sue has a longtime friend with a unique perspective.
"My life was knitted together with Sue 33 years ago. Who would have never known that we would both lose a husband, and we would both lose a child," Terry Bentley Hill said.
More than a decade ago Hill lost her own teenage daughter, Hallie to suicide after a struggle with depression. Thus when the Loncar family lost 16-year-old Grace the day after Thanksgiving, Hill did her best to offer hope for the future.
Brian Loncar was found dead two days after his daughter's funeral. The Dallas's Medical Examiner has not released the cause of death.
"He died of a broken heart. I know he did. I have felt that pain, and he felt that pain, and it broke his heart," Hill said.
Immediately after Brian's death, Hill and the Loncar family developed the Grace and Brian Loncar Foundation to help adolescents struggling with depression. The organization will raise awareness for mental health and offer direct financial aid for those in need.
"There has to be purpose for the suffering, so what can we do? And so we talked about starting a foundation where we can help others. There has to be good that comes out of bad," Hill said.
Brian Loncar's funeral is Friday at 1 p.m. at Munger Place Church in Dallas.
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