They had their hearts set on a Christmas-time miracle, but for one Jonesville family, that miracle never happened.

45-year-old Bertha Martin died Thursday, two weeks after her car skidded into a frozen pond, leaving her floating and unconscious, and her daughter Ashley trapped in the sinking car.

She leaves behind two daughters (including Ashley, who survived) and a husband, Tom, who had major heart surgery just days before Bertha's accident.

"A lot of people knew Bertha," says family spokeswoman Kristin Klump. "Everyone is saddened by it, everyone. It's affecting the whole community."

One of the most affected, perhaps, is Cody Horn, the young man who pulled Ashley to safety and gave Bertha CPR.

So he stepped up, spread the word, and now Hillsdale County is wrapping its arms around the devastated family.

"Businesses in town have been giving gift certificates, clothes items, churches have been giving canned food," Horn lists.

Bigger efforts have also come to fruition.

WCSR radio, Market House grocery store, Ken Stillwell Ford and volunteers have raised more than $3,000 towards a new car for the family. They need to raise just about $1,000 more.

"It all just speaks for our community," says Chris Finch, who works at the Ford dealership. "Hillsdale County has been hit hard with job losses, but people are still so very caring."

"It's amazing how people band together and help someone in need they've never even met," Horn says.

"The human spirit is alive in Hillsdale," adds Finch.

They're making sure the living are cared for while they mourn their mother's death during a tough holiday season.