The Carson family bungalow once rang with the laughter of redheaded children.

The family of five made memories to last a lifetime inside the walls of their modest home on 50A Avenue, three blocks from the wide main street of their tiny hometown.

Now all of them are gone.

The first one lost was Savanah Leigh-Ann, who died last April at age 15.

Then on Monday evening, in a flash of headlights and an explosion of mangled steel, the rest of the family was taken in an instant.

Family and neighbours in Amisk, Alta., now face the grim chore of planning funerals for Tim Carson, 52, his wife, Michelle, 44, their daughter, Niki, 12, and their son, Shawn, aged nine.

All four died at the scene of a head-on collision near the town of Hardisty, in east-central Alberta.

A 21-year-old man who grew up down the street from the family was behind the wheel of the oncoming SUV that struck the Carsons' car. He also died in the fiery crash. RCMP say they will not release the man's name.

"It's hard enough to know you've lost a friend," said Carol Shuttleworth, who always looked up to her older brother, Tim, and often turned to him for advice. "But when the whole family is gone … I'm in shock still.

"Our family is an extremely close family, everyone is close with everybody. We're more than just siblings and relatives, we're friends. We're trying to be strong, trying to hold on."

'They just made each other better'

Tim and Michelle Carson would have celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary this summer.

They met two decades ago near Michelle's childhood home, in Red Deer, where she was an ace ringette player in a local league. Tim wasn't really into sports, but they hit it off.

The level-headed Tim and warm-hearted Michelle seemed the perfect match, and romance remained in their marriage long after they'd exchanged vows.

Soon after the tragedy, a small clutch of teddy bears appeared on the front porch of the Carson family home. (CBC)

"They just made each other better," said Tim's brother, Kelly Carson. "They were always very family oriented. Family was No. 1, and friends and community were always a very close second."

After their marriage, Tim and Michelle decided they wanted to raise their children in the country, and bought their home in Amisk, just a few kilometres from the family farm where Tim had grown up, the middle son among five brothers and sisters.

The couple settled quickly into life in their little village of 200.

Every family, eventually, faces its share of hardship. The Carsons, perhaps, faced more than most.

'I call her the miracle child'

Michelle's only brother died in a car accident more than two decades ago. After that, she seemed to relish being part of her husband's large extended family.

The Carsons' first daughter was born with severe disabilities, and the young parents were told to prepare for the worst. The frail, red-haired baby was only expected to survive a few days.

Michelle and Tim's daughter Savanah Leigh-Ann, who was born with severe disabilities, died last year at age 15. (Facebook)

She beat long odds and almost reached her 16th birthday. When she died last April, her father wrote on his Facebook page that the family's "special angel" had gone "peacefully to the Lord."

"I call her the miracle child," Shuttleworth said of her niece. "Because doctors didn't expect her to live very long when she was born, and she surpassed that by almost 16 years.

"Even though she had her difficulties, she had fighting willpower."

After Savanah's death, the family took solace in that she lived such a full life in such a short time. They got on, as best they could, with their busy lives.

'They were a strong family'

Tim Carson logged long hours as a trucker. But he was home every night to share a meal with his family. Michelle worked at the bank and library building just down the road from their home. Like many moms, she spent much of her time carting children to school or soccer practice.

"They had their ups and downs for sure, but I've never seen any of those up and downs," said Shuttleworth. "They always tried to keep upbeat. Always warm and welcoming. They always had a smile on their faces. It was as if nothing could get them down."

News that the family had been swept away so suddenly sent a chill through Amisk, where everyone knows everyone else.

"It has been pretty shocking," said Kathy Neudorf, a neighbour whose daughter often crossed the backyard to play with Niki. "It's tragic. It's hard to believe that all of them died."

Family began gathering in Amisk on Wednesday to start making funeral arrangements.

Those closest to the Carsons say they want the family to be remembered as kind people who helped others.

"They were a strong family," Kelly Carson said. "There was no shortage of love. And anything that overflowed, it went to family and friends."