Mother and daughter remembered after passing away in crash near Malad

SHELLEY — A local man says the woman who passed away in a car accident with her daughter Sunday was “a wonderful person.”

Timothy Reese, from Shelley, created a GoFundMe and Facebook fundraiser on behalf of Janice Breitenfeldt, 61, and her daughter Sky, 29. Janice and Sky died Sunday in a crash north of Malad. They were returning home to Whitehall, Montana, from the Mount Odgen Kennel Club dog shows in Logan, Utah, and were traveling with their four Pekingese dogs.

The women were in an SUV pulling a trailer, and Janice drove off the right shoulder. The vehicle rolled and came to rest on its top. Idaho State Police have not released further details on the cause of the crash.

“Jan was a very, very kind person. She never, ever would gossip or talk about other people. That’s very unusual in the dog show world,” Reese said. “In fact, so many of the messages on the fundraisers talk about what a kind individual she was and patient — she had to be very patient.”

Reese said Sky had Down syndrome. When Reese spoke to Janice the Tuesday before the crash, he said Janice was waiting for Sky and told him “that’s my lot in life … just to wait around for my little girl.”

Reese said the Breitenfeldt family was very active in the dog show community.

“Her life was devoted to her Pekingese, and her husband’s life is devoted to his Brittany spaniels,” he said.

All four of the dogs riding with the Breitenfeldts survived. They are in Reese’s care. Reese also breeds and shows Pekingese dogs.

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“It’s absolutely a miracle that all four survived. No one can understand how because two of the dogs’ crates were thrown out of the vehicle and crushed, and two were still in the vehicle,” Reese said. “One of the dogs is the smallest Pekingese to have ever received a championship.”

Reese said the dog show community, locally and internationally, has rallied behind the fundraisers.

“It’s touched people all over the country. In fact, we’ve had donations from outside the United States as well,” he said. “I’m just amazed at all the donations and the comments.”

The GoFundMe has raised $3,690 of the $10,000 goal since it was created on Monday. The Facebook fundraiser has raised $6,050 of it’s $10,000 goal.

The funds raised will go directly to Janice’s husband, Todd Breitenfeldt, to help cover funeral and other related costs.