MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Sean Ray, 49, and his girlfriend Judy Reid, 49 — both of Minnetonka — were heading to the funeral of Ray’s father on Monday when their car struck a semi and a plow truck.

The incident took place during near white-out conditions near Barnesville, Minn., located southeast of Fargo.

Ray’s son, 16-year-old Evan, was also seriously injured in the crash. He was taken to a hospital in Fargo.

Troopers say the car, driven by Reid, tried to pass between a semi and a snow plow, when their car struck both vehicles, stalled and then were struck by a pick-up truck.

A State Trooper told Reid’s mother, Jane, that the impact was too much.

“It was an instant impact, and both Judy and Sean died instantly at the scene,” Jane said.

Jane says the two cared for her after her husband and son died in the last decade — and when she became severely ill.

They all had planned to celebrate Judy’s birthday on Saturday.

“I’ll have to go out and buy a rose, and put it on one of my tables in my living room, and say special prayers,” Jane said.

Some employees and patrons at Brit’s in downtown Minneapolis will be praying, too. Ray played on the bar’s soccer team for years. His pictures still hang on the walls.

As loved ones begin the process of moving forward, Jane hangs onto something her daughter always used to say.

“I sometimes wonder if she knew she was going to have a short life, because she says, ‘We’ve always got to tell people how much we love them when we say goodbye,’” Jane said.