The memorial sat in an empty driveway as neighbors stopped and gazed with teary eyes. The pictures, notes and flowers are the memories left of the Pittses, a Gilbert family who lost five members Sunday afternoon in a single-engine plane crash near Santa Rosa, N.M.

5 members of Gilbert family die in plane crash

"The neighborhood will never be the same without them, and neither will the people who knew them," said Aisha Baya, who lives across the street from the family and met them on the first day they moved into the neighborhood near Elliot Road and Val Vista Drive. "There isn't a person they touched or met that didn't love them."

Ules Pitts Jr., 42, his wife, Marian, 41, and their three children, Jessica, 18, Jennifer, 16, and Jeremy, 13, were killed on their way to Chicago for a vacation. Their plane went down during takeoff.

The family leaves behind 21-year-old Melissa, who couldn't go on the trip because of work, said Ules Pitts Sr., who spoke to the Tribune on Monday.

"We don't know what to do," Ules Pitts Sr. said. "We've never been in a situation before where we have lost our whole family."

The memorial in front of the Pitts home was set up within hours after the news spread throughout the neighborhood, where they moved from Chicago 11 years ago. From the moment they arrived, the family welcomed everyone into their home, Baya said.

Ules Pitts Jr. was an experienced pilot of eight years and was very safe while flying, Ules Pitts Sr. said Monday.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. Jason Aguilera, an NTSB investigator, said Tuesday the Santa Rosa airport was the family's first fuel stop, and he didn't know where the plane was scheduled to stop next.

The Cessna 206 took off about 1 p.m. Sunday from the Route 66 Airport at Santa Rosa and crashed almost immediately, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig said.

Santa Rosa police Lt. Jesus Roybal said the airplane crashed in a field, 274 yards from the runway. Witnesses said the pilot did a left bank after takeoff, and turned about 180 degrees before the plane crashed.

Mourners are planning a candlelight vigil at the home Friday.

Services for the family are still being arranged, said Dan Morley, senior pastor at Gilbert First United Methodist Church, which the Pitts family attended. Morley said the church may have to hold the services in a bigger venue because a large crowd is expected.

People have been stopping by the Pitts home constantly during the past two days, dropping off letters, pictures and flowers. Many said they were well-known, well-loved and will be missed.

The family was active, both in the community and school, and the pictures pasted on the memorial reveal the Pittses' spirit and energy.

All the children were athletes and excelled, said Aisha Hassan, a close friend of Melissa as she stopped by the home. They also participated in a number of extracurricular activities.

Jessica played volleyball and sang in choir; Jennifer ran track and participated in the hiking club, and Jeremy played basketball and baseball.

Jessica recently graduated from Gilbert High School, where Jennifer was to be a sophomore. Jeremy was to start eighth grade at Greenfield Junior High School.

J. Charles Santa Cruz, Gilbert High principal, said he was shocked upon learning about the crash.

"I'm amazed at how quickly life can turn," he said.

Santa Cruz recalls seeing them around campus and having conversations with them during the lunch hour.

"I heard positive things about both these young people as they were going through school," he said. "It is a terrible loss."