Friends and family are preparing for a Celebration of Life to remember Aimee Eddington-Crawford, a 40-year-old Oakdale mother of three who was found dead in her home on May 1.
William Schendel of Modesto was identified as a suspect in the homicide case and is now in custody.
Ryan Cuthbert is one of Eddington-Crawford's friends from junior high school. He describes Oakdale as a country town.
"Whether you know somebody or not, you want to help," Cuthbert said.
Cuthbert is organizing Eddington-Crawford's Celebration of Life and put together a program. He says she was a former business owner and a single mother to the three children.
"She's so outgoing," Cuthbert said. "They're her friends. Everyone is her friend. If you met her she was your friend."
Cuthbert says many of her friends and family are still trying to grasp a world without Eddington-Crawford.
"It wasn't her time to leave," Cuthbert said. "The world needs more people like her."
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