Community Supports Father Who Lost Family to Tornado

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Kori Bryant died during Friday's tornadoes.

Olivia Bryant, 9-weeks-old, died in the tornadoes Friday.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.- One small Murfreesboro community is coping with tragedy Saturday, one day after a tornado took the life of Kori Bryant and her nine week old daughter, Olivia in the Sulphur Springs area.

John Bryant, the husband and father, was able to survive the storm. He is in serious condition in a local hospital. Saturday, friends of the family gathered at the spot where their home once stood, hauling in supplies, clearing debris, and giving any help they could.

"I haven't slept or eaten. I've cried a whole, whole bunch, and I can't cry anymore. I just can't believe it happened. I can't believe it's real," said Bryant family friend, David Duelly.

Saturday, Duelly was still trying to come to terms with what happened to his friend.

"I was five minutes behind him, and when I talked to him, he had just pulled into the driveway, and I said, ‘Get somewhere safe,'" Duelly remembered his conversation with his long-time friend John Bryant.

"By the time I got here power lines were down in the street. And I had to run through the rain to get up here, and the house was gone," said Duelly.

Saturday, friends of the family gathered at the spot where the home once stood. Those who knew Kori said she was a bright, kind young woman with a smile.

A memorial fund has been set up for the Bryant family at Bank of America. Anyone interested in giving can do so at any location.

The money donated will pay for Kori and Olivia's funerals as well as John's medical bills.