HOPKINTON, R.I. (WPRI) — Jim Larisa remembers when he first met Stephanie Francis.

Larisa, the owner of Wood River Bar and Grill, had called her in for a job interview.

"When I'm looking for servers, I'm not looking for someone who has 20 years of serving experience. I want someone that my customers can relate to," he said. "I knew within seconds that Stephanie was going to be someone who was likeable."

The 44-year-old had only worked at the Hopkinton restaurant for a few months before her estranged husband shot and killed her in front of their two young children and a neighbor's child. Joseph Francis, 45, then led officers on a high-speed chase through several towns before crashing his car and killing himself.

Larisa and his staff were devastated by the unimaginable loss of their beloved friend.

"She was caring and friendly and was always thinking, 'how can I put a smile on somebody else's face?'" he said.

That much was evident when he watched her bond with a younger server over her earrings.

"She always used to compliment Stephanie on her earrings, because she had all sorts of earrings and wore different ones all the time," Larisa said. "The next time they worked together, Stephanie brought in a pair of earrings from her box for her."

"That's just who Stephanie was," he added. "She was a good person."

Francis' 14-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter are now living with their grandparents. Larisa told 12 News he didn't think twice when creating a GoFundMe page for her children, especially since the siblings are now forced to live the rest of their lives without either of their parents.

"I just don't know how you process that," Larisa said.

Larisa hopes the money raised will ease the family's financial burdens, while also allowing them to heal and move forward. So far, the GoFundMe has raised more than $10,000 for the Francis children.

"We wanted to raise funds for the kids as soon as we could," Larisa explained. "There's going to be so much that these kids and family are going to need."

His efforts aren't stopping there, however.

Larisa has banded together with Francis' loved ones to organize a vigil for her this fall, and there are talks about eventually creating a nonprofit in her honor.

"What we don't want is for her to ever be forgotten," Larisa said.