LAKELAND — A Lakeland family is mourning a couple that was hit and killed by a vehicle earlier this month.

Yanique Pierre Baptiste, 46, and her husband, the Rev. Ronald Jean Baptiste, 54, were visiting from Everett, Mass.

Yanique’s sister, Rose Mercie Pierre Rock, said the family spent time together at a local park earlier that day on Aug. 7.

Rock said reuniting with her sister was long overdue.

“Me and her and my brother, always there for each other,” she said.

The couple was visiting Lakeland with their 7-year-old for a vacation and reunion.

“Before I drove her to the hotel over there, we took a lot of pictures of going to the park with her and her dad," Rock said. "This is the last time I saw my sister."

Lakeland police report that the couple was struck by a car while crossing the intersection at South Florida Avenue and Imperial Boulevard. Their 7-year-old daughter, who was only a few feet away, was unharmed.

“I Just want to tell people that my parents were good people and that they loved the Lord and they taught me and my sisters to do that,” said the couple's oldest daughter, Rodnicha Jean-Baptiste.

Rock, the couple’s three children, and the congregation in the Boston area where Baptiste served are still grappling with their death.

The couple’s family has started a GoFundMe page to collect donations to bring them back to Boston and provide for a funeral.

“My parents loved so many people,” said Rodnicha. “They made such a big impact in my community. We want to be able to send them home and do a burial that represents them and the greatness that they hold in our community. We want to be able to live a life me and my siblings that honors them.”

Investigators say the car’s driver, a 22-year-old Lakeland woman, remained at the scene. According to the police, the car had a green light when the crash happened, and no charges or citations have been issued.

GoFundMe.com, or any other third-party online fundraiser, is not managed by Spectrum Bay News 9 or Spectrum News 13. For more information on how GoFundMe works and its rules, visit http://www.gofundme.com/safety.