PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — This was never a path that Elizabeth Culp thought she would walk.

TAPS veteran suicide seminar helps families deal with loss

Elizabeth Culp lost her husband in 2014

Culp and her kids found healing at TAPS

"It was one of those unforeseen, crazy, numbing things that happens to someone else but not our family kind of experiences," she said.

The last time she saw her husband, US Army Sgt. John 'Brian' Culp, it was May of 2014. The family was living in Washington when Sgt. Culp took his own life.

Elizabeth became a widow and had to pave the way for their two young sons.

"It's one thing to be a wife or a widow, and lose your husband and have all those questions and a surge of emotions," she said. "But to have your children and want to help them power through for them and fix it, when you know darn well you can't fix anything."

Four years ago, Elizabeth found her way to the TAPS National Military Suicide Survivor Seminar. She and her boys have been attending yearly ever since. The family has found peace by being surrounded by almost 1,000 others from across the country with similar stories to tell.

"When you talk to a human being that's been through this ahead of time, and had kids and walked their kids through this ahead of time," Elizabeth said.

Her sons have been a part of the 'Good Grief Camp', which helps teach coping skills.