Atwater woman wanted to fish with her brother on her birthday. They died tragically

An Atwater woman and her brother were headed out on a fishing trip to celebrate her birthday when they died in a crash just north of Merced, family members confirmed on Tuesday.

Driver Mary Cody, 57, and brother Kaill Smith, 48, were traveling in a 1980 Chevrolet pickup that caught fire Monday after it is was struck by a Peterbilt big rig on G Street just north of Old Lake Road on the outskirts of Merced, the California Highway Patrol said.

A tackle box and fishing gear were found in the truck.

Cody and Smith were part of a “very, very close” family, according to their sister, Tracy La France. The brother and sister were next-door neighbors on the west side of Atwater.

Their father, David Smith, spoke on behalf of his wife, Margaret, and the rest of the family.

“We lost two very precious members of our family. Our oldest daughter, Mary, and only son, Kaill,” the 84-year-old said in a statement.

Smith said his son struggled with depression since he was 15, but managed to be “a very productive person.” His son was known in the Santa Cruz area for his skill as a luthier, a guitar repairman, Smith said.

“He was also a songwriter, a wonderful musician and he moved in with us to help take care of me and my wife,” Smith said. “He helped my wife and I survive by doing all the loving and caring things a son would do. Always strumming on his guitar, and just laughing and joking and watching old movies with me.”

Cody was a mother of four, and grandmother to six, Smith said. “She was the light of our lives,” he said. “All she wanted to do that day was go fishing with her brother on her birthday.”

“Mary had the most beautiful and giving heart, always putting others before herself and her needs,” he continued. “Me and my wife have broken hearts that will last the rest of our lives.”

Both the pickup and big rig were traveling north on G Street just before 11:30 a.m. Monday when Cody started to slow, according to CHP.

The driver of the big rig, 60-year-old Auscencio Ramirez of Le Grand, was traveling behind the Chevrolet, CHP reported. As the Chevrolet slowed to a near or complete stop, Ramirez entered the southbound lane to pass it, according to CHP.

The Chevrolet made a U-turn and pulled in front of the big rig, which was unable to stop, the CHP reported.

Ramirez pulled his big rig onto the right shoulder, but before he could get to the Chevrolet, it began to smoke, according to officers. The pickup became engulfed in flames with the victims inside.

La France said the family remains in shock, saying Cody worked as driver for many years. “We are trying to figure some things out,” she said. “We do not understand how this happened ... We’re just in shock and disbelief, and absolutely brokenhearted.”

This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Atwater woman wanted to fish with her brother on her birthday. They died tragically."