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After devastating plane crash, Md. father strives for normalcy

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Ken Gemmell just went through his first holiday season since his life was shattered in December 2014 when a plane crashed into his Gaithersburg home, killing his wife and two children who were inside at the time.

Now, Gemmell is searching for normalcy.

“It’s hard to imagine this happening to anyone,” Gemmell tells WTOP.  “I’m just trying to figure out how to go through day-to-day.”

Gemmell’s wife, Marie; their 3-year old son, Cole; and 2-month old son, Devin, died when the plane, which was trying to land at the nearby Montgomery County Airpark, came up short. Three people on board the plane were killed.

The NTSB is still working on its final report into the incident.

“The shock of what my house looked like still haunts me to this day,” says Gemmell.

As he tries to move forward, he says some days are much harder than others.

“After the new year I missed them all a lot, and I looked at one picture and started looking at a few others, and it just overwhelmed me,” Gemmell says.

Although he lost so much, Gemmell still has his 8-year old daughter, Arabelle. Together, they are working to rebuild their lives, little by little, and Gemmell says he has been amazed by the outpouring of support from the community.

“It’s inspiring that so many people went out of their way to try to help us out in our time of need,” he says.

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