Friends are raising money to cover funeral expenses for students killed in I-435 crash

Friends of two students killed in a car crash off Interstate 435 on Saturday night are raising money to pay for funeral and burial expenses.

Eugenie Tu’iemanu Ripley, 21, was a University of Central Missouri student, a rugby player and a member of the ROTC and was from a tight-knit Samoan family. Caleb M. Lugano, 22, was a Donnelly College nursing student, a father and a recently naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Kenya.

They died Saturday night when the vehicle Lugano was driving ran off the I-435 overpass and landed on Gregory Boulevard. Two other passengers, both University of Central Missouri students, are in the hospital.

The University of Central Missouri women’s rugby team is raising money to help pay for funeral and flying expenses for Ripley. Her family intends to bring her body back to American Samoa, where she was born, family member Inga Stunzner confirmed.

A vigil for Ripley is planned for 5 p.m. Thursday at the university chapel, a school spokesman said.

Friends of Lugano also are raising money to help pay his funeral expenses, which would include flying his body back to Kenya.

A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. July 6 at Neema Community Church, 621 S. Lee Ave. in Olathe.

This story was originally published June 28, 2016 at 8:26 AM with the headline "Friends are raising money to cover funeral expenses for students killed in I-435 crash."