Bra Angah-McCray, better known as Alexandra, made a new home in Maryland after immigrating from Africa. Over the years, she and her two children have helped several others do the same.
"Alexandra was very loving, very caring and that's just a moment that we'll never ever have again," said best friend Bine Fofana.
Now, her new family is trying to say goodbye.
Alexandra, 26, along with her two kids, 4-year-old Aimee and 3-year-old Adriel, did not survive a fire in their Holly Lane apartment early Sunday morning.
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"Every since then I have not been the same," Fofana said, "I feel like I lost a part of me. She's my sister, my guardian angel."
Every Sunday, the group of friends played soccer in Baltimore's Radecke Park and ate dinner together. The goal was to make a home away from home for several people who relocated to Baltimore from Africa.
"Alex was definitely the person that was always the one with ideas," said friend Pierre Simo, "How do we get together as African family and celebrate our lives in the U.S.?"
Jean Fossi described what he'll miss the most.
"The encouragement, the smile," he said. "Always wanted to be reliable and help us more. There's nobody to replace her."
The group is trying to honor Alex and her kids like family here in America, but they need help. They're raising for funeral services on GoFundMe, and planning a soccer fundraiser for this Sunday.
"What we're doing as a community is make sure that we celebrate her because, even though she went so young, she really impacted a lot of us," said Simo.
Soccer starts in Radecke Park at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Investigators have not determined what caused the fatal fire.
