Leavenworth woman killed in Olathe crash was ‘outgoing, magnetic’ wife and mother of 3
Family of a Leavenworth woman who died in a crash on Interstate 35 in Olathe Tuesday said she suffered a medical emergency while driving just before the crash.
Rhiannon Rodriguez, 43, a wife and a mother of three children, died in the crash on southbound Interstate 35 near the West 167th Street overpass. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, Rodriguez’s vehicle went into a ditch, hit a tree and a concrete embankment and caught on fire.
“Rhiannon Rodriguez was taken far too soon, but anyone who knew her knows she would hate to be remembered quietly,” Rodriguez’s sister, Pamela Caraway, wrote on a GoFundMe page established to raise money for her sister’s family. “She should be remembered through loud laughter, spontaneous adventures, overdressed outings, strong opinions, inside jokes, and the kind of love that made people feel fully seen.”
As of Friday morning, the GoFundMe had raised more than $21,000 in contributions.
Caraway wrote that her sister was “outgoing, magnetic and hilariously bossy,” loved to explore new places and found joy in thrifting.
“At the center of her world was her husband, Hugo, and together they built a life full of laughter, love, and countless adventures,” the GoFundMe said.
“But of everything she accomplished and everything she was, Rhiannon was most proud of her three children — Merick, Lilly, and Lottie. They were her greatest joy, her proudest achievement, and the people she loved most fiercely.”
