When Kelly Doroski died in a single car accident in East Hampton on Thursday night at the age of 23, she not only left behind devastated parents, siblings and a fiancé, but a young son who will grow up without his mother.
Tracy Doroski said her younger sister was devoted to Joshua Corrigan, who is just 22 months old. "That baby was her life," Tracy said in an interview on Friday afternoon.
The mother and son spent some time, as they often did, at her parents' house in Sag Harbor Village on Thursday evening. They made the trip back to their place in East Hampton safely, and she put him to bed, before remembering that she left her cellphone back at her parents'. Her fiancé, Max Corrigan, was home with Josh, so she drove back to Sag Harbor to get it. It was on the drive home that her 2009 Mazda veered off the road and into the woods.
Corrigan called Tracy when Kelly didn't arrive back home — she said she knew in her heart something must have happened. Frantically, she called and texted her sister. She was just about to go drive around and look for her when the police knocked on the door.
Her family didn't find out she died until they got to the hospital.
Patricia and William Doroski, along with their daughter Tracy, Kelly's fiancé, and Tracy's boyfriend Joey Jenkins, all stayed at the hospital as long as they could.
"She was already gone, but we still kissed her, and I held her hand until she was so cold," Tracy said.
The two sisters were not only close — making plans for Valentine's Day together — but they were also close in age, just two years apart. On Friday, which also marks Tracy's 26th birthday, she and her family, including older siblings Willy Doroski, 27, and Allie Doroski, 37, are reeling from the shock of the loss.
"I wish I could have protected her," Tracy said.
Kelly was a free-spirit, full of energy, and always true to herself, her sister remembered. "She knew who she was and she was never shy about that. She would do anything she could to be there for her friends and family," she said.
But, she lived for her son and relished in being a stay-at-home mother, Tracy said. "She devoted her life to Joshua. She made sure that he never wanted for anything, and she taught him to be an amazing person, like her," Tracy said.
While Josh may be too young to understand death, he already knows something isn't right. "He is caring, and he loves his mommy. He keeps looking for her."
Kelly had a lot to look forward to.
She and Corrigan, the manager at the AT&T store in East Hampton, had been dating for many years. They both graduated from Pierson — she in 2006 and him in 2004. Several years ago, he proposed to her on a vacation in Hawaii. Tracy recalled how "ecstatic" Kelly was. She felt lucky to find someone who truly cared about her, Tracy said.
They had finally set a date — Nov. 1, 2013.
The couple were also planning for another child, Tracy said. She wanted her children to be close in age like she and her sister were. Tracy said her sister went to the doctor on Monday. "They wanted a girl," her sister said. "Her prenatal vitamins are still on the counter."
Kelly's parents were unavailable for comment on Friday — Tracy said they are too filled with grief. "They just cry. They just said they want her back," Tracy said.
Her family is not alone in their devastation. Friends, such as Arielle Johnson, her friend since middle school, are in disbelief. Until Johnson moved to Florida recently, she lived with Kelly and they were inseparable, Tracy said. Johnson is trying to make it back to Sag Harbor, amidst the snowstorm.
Funeral arrangements for Kelly have not been made yet. Please continue to check back with Patch for the information when it becomes available.
Please leave your condolences for the Doroski and Corrigan families in the comments section below.
