Friends say 3 fathers believed dead in Alaska avalanche "lived for their kids"
Close friends are opening up about the impact and legacy of three fathers who died in an avalanche while skiing in Alaska last week.
State troopers say they haven't been able to reach the men, who were buried under at least 40 feet of snow.
The victims were Charlie Eppard, Dave Linder and Jeremy Leif. They were friends from growing up in the Mankato area.
Leif's close friends say he loved being a dad.
"He was a little kid at heart himself, so he loved kids," said John Fritz. "It wasn't just his kids. All kids loved Jeremy."
Leif's 2-year-old and 5-year-old will now grow up without him.
"Every single one of them just lived for their kids," said Mike Herrlin, who was on the ski trip but didn't join those three that day.
"They were all highly skilled and definitely comfortable with what they were doing," he said. "It's one of those freak things."
Herrlin says Leif had a quality that made everyone feel like he was their best friend.
"My wife, Cara, who was also close with him, [I told her] he was on the short list of, 'If you ever need help with anything or the kids ever need help with anything and I'm not around, you go to Jeremy,'" said Herrlin.
Herrlin and Fritz say they plan to keep their children close with Leif's kids.
"We'll try to do everything we can to help support those kids going forward, be there for them," Herrlin said.
Hundreds of people have given to an online fundraiser for Jeremy's wife, Kieu, and their children.
