It was supposed to be a weekend of celebration for Eric Gustafson and his family.

Excited to see his daughter Izzy play in her final basketball games of the season for Northwest College, Gustafson hit the road from Sandy to Powell, Wyo. on Thursday, with his wife, three children and parents in tow.

What started out as a trip to cheer on the 18-year-old college freshman turned into a nightmare, when the family's Ford Excursion hit a patch of ice on Wyoming's Highway 28 and rolled four times down a steep embankment, killing two family members at the accident scene. A third would later die at the hospital after suffering a heart attack.

Gustafson on Saturday gathered in Sandy with family and friends to remember his wife of 24 years, LuAnne, and his parents, 76-year-old Jaret Gustafson and Diane Gustafson, 72, of East Millcreek, who died after Thursday's accident.

"We're getting through it, one hour at a time," said Gustafson, a retired fire captain who now works for Amtrak. He said he and his children, Elaura, 16; Christopher, 14; and Elyssa, 10, escaped the rollover with minor injuries.

The accident, which the Wyoming Highway Patrol said happened about 33 miles east of Farson, occurred on a part of the South Pass highway known to be particularly treacherous in bad weather.

Gustafson said the family was driving east toward Powell after stopping in Rock Springs for hamburgers when he felt the SUV's wheels slide on the icy road. The vehicle veered north and rolled down an embankment before coming to rest.

Gustafson glanced at his wife after the SUV stopped and knew the worst had happened.

"When I came to, when I realized it was over with, I looked at my wife and I could tell she was gone," Gustafson said.

One by one, he then called out to his children and parents to gauge who else was injured. Everyone else in the vehicle spoke up. Ten-year-old Elyssa, however, noticed someone was missing.

"Dad, I can't find Grandpa," she told Gustafson, who proceeded to push the windshield out of the SUV and crawl out of the vehicle. He found his father outside. Jaret Gustafson was ejected from the SUV and was the only one not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, said Wyoming Highway Patrol Capt. Len DeClercq.

A passing minivan stopped and allowed the surviving Gustafsons to wait inside until emergency personell arrived at the scene. The family was transported to Lander Regional Hospital in Lander, Wyo. They were later released, with the exception of Diane Gustafson, who doctors wanted to keep overnight for observation.

Gustafson and his children stayed at the home of a Lander LDS Church bishop for the evening. A 4:30 a.m. phone call awakened him. It was the hospital, with grim news.

After surviving the rollover, Diane Gustafson had suffered an unexpected heart attack overnight. She died early Friday.

A nurse at the hospital offered the Gustafsons some words of solace, which he said the family has taken to heart to help them cope with their loss.

"The nurse said, 'You know Eric, a lot of times people can tell when it's time to go and I think it was your mother's time to go," Gustafson said.

"There's no doubt in my mind as she laid there in that hospital bed knowing what happened, that she wanted to go with my dad to a better place than here. They've been together all their lives," Gustafson said.

Gustafson said his parents had been together since they were children in East Millcreek. Their families were next-door neighbors, and Jaret and Diane grew up to marry. The two had been married for 53 years, Gustafson said.

Gustafson said he and LuAnne would have celebrated their 25th anniversary this year. The couple gave their four daughters names that started with "El" -- to represent the first letters of their own names, Eric and LuAnne. The couple's oldest daughter, 21-year-old Elise, became engaged two weeks ago --an occasion which the family celebrated together, Gustafson said.

He joked that his wife took 200 photos in the time span it took for Elise's fiance to pop the question in front of the family.

Gustafson said LuAnne was known as a passionate and giving woman who was active in PTA committees at her children's schools and was always willing to let down-on -their-luck friends stay with the family.

She graduated from BYU and was an accomplished pianist who often played music with daughter Elaura, Gustafson said.

She ran an embroidery business and was featured in several news articles during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games after she stayed up all night to make the Iranian ski team jackets and hats for the games' opening ceremonies, Gustafson said. The Iranian team hadn't intended to compete in Salt Lake after former President George Bush mentioned the country in a post-9/11 speech, calling them part of the "axis of evil."

The ski team came after all, but called the Gustafsons in desperation to help them spruce up their outfits for Olympic festivities. It's a memory of his wife Eric Gustafson said he'll always treasure. It wasn't unusual for his wife to take on a last-minute project to help someone and she was proud when the Iranian team stopped by to pick up their newly embroidered "Iran" jackets, he said.

"She always did the extra things in life and made everyone feel welcome," Gustafson said.

Tribune reporter Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.