ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — Dustin Smith had finally found the life he wanted.
Known as "Dusty," the Zephyrhills father was raising his kids with his fiancée, Mallory, in what relatives described as a loving blended family.
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"He had finally met his soulmate. His fiancée they were so happy," said cousin Johanna Edwards.
Edwards said Mallory embraced Smith's children as her own, while bringing three children into the relationship herself.
"Mallory loved his little boys like they were his own," Edwards said. "She also brought three kids into the relationship, and it was like a modern-day Brady Bunch. It was such a sweet family. They had just welcomed their little baby girl, Darla."
That happiness was shattered Saturday night.
According to investigators, Smith was killed, and Mallory was seriously injured when an SUV turned into the path of their motorcycle in Zephyrhills. Authorities said the driver continued driving after the crash but was later arrested and charged with leaving the scene.
"When you leave the scene of an accident like that, that's totally wrong," said Smith's uncle, Brad Buchanan. "And that's what really burns me right there."
Buchanan said he struggled to believe the news when he learned his nephew had died.
"My first thought was impossible. No way," he said.
As Mallory recovers in the hospital, family members are focused on helping the children left behind.
"Most times, Dusty would be working two or three jobs to provide for his family," Edwards said. "And any little bit of time he had off of work, he was taking his boys to do something fun."
Edwards hopes people will remember Smith as a devoted father and consider supporting the family through a GoFundMe campaign established after the crash.
She also understands the pain of sudden loss.
In December 2022, Edwards' 7-year-old daughter, Kinley, was killed when the family's van was struck from behind by a truck. Edwards and her younger daughter were injured in the crash.
"The reality of it is, we are not supposed to bury our kids. Our kids are supposed to bury us," Edwards' pastor, Mike Moore, said at the time. "That's the way we like to see that order work. So it's heartbreaking. It's truly heartbreaking to see that."
Now, Edwards and her family are facing another tragedy.
Smith's children are also trying to understand the loss of their father.
"Daddy loves sunsets," one child said to Buchanan. "And the brightest star at night is daddy watching us."
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