Daughter of FPD officer raising money after losing mom abruptly

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - What started as an idea, quickly turned into something bigger for 9-year-old Kate Dye, after her mother passed away on Sunday.

Her mother, Stephanie, went to the ER a couple of weeks ago, and doctors have been unable to figure out the cause this far.

After her passing, that’s when Kate knew she wanted to show up in a big way.

“About 6 months ago I had this idea about making a bake sale, then she passed away and I was like ‘yeah we’re doing this today right now,’” Kate said.

Kate’s father, Thomas, is a Fargo Police Officer, and while the department is grieving the loss of one of their own, many officers and other first responders showed up Thursday to show their support for the pair.

“It’s just really nice to see those guys even with all the stress going on,” Thomas said. “This is Kate’s party and Kate’s day and we’re all having a good time doing it.”

The treats were made by several people, but it was clear to the crowd that Kate and her friends are the people in charge. They say they’re thankful for what the community has done.

“I think we’re truly grateful and we thank all of you for coming,” Kate said.

“Just thank everyone and we’re grateful to have everyone, and thank you for the donations and for helping with the baked goods,” Kate’s friend Hadley added.

“We’re just helping Kate’s mom,” Kate’s friend Savvy said.

With donation jars scattered about, and a large crowd throughout the day, the family was feeling the love from everyone who stopped by.

“The amount of gratitude we have for all the blessings and support, I mean our buckets are just overfilling right now so we can’t wait until we have the opportunity to pay this forward and help in the future for other people who go through stuff like this because the amount of support has just been phenomenal,” Thomas said.

Thomas said for those who want to help, they can use the GoFundMe or venmo him at @thomas-dye-16. The money will be used for medical bills, funeral expenses, and will go to Kate’s college fund.