Young couple wanted to marry but died in tragic accident. Families honoured them with a wedding at their joint funeral

Mary Mich and Luke Reimer were only 20 and had barely begun planning their lives together when everything stopped. The two university students were found dead inside a parked car on the campus of Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, on January 19. The vehicle was just 15 feet away from Mary’s dorm at Saint Agnes Hall. What should have been an ordinary winter night turned into something their families are still struggling to understand.

According to PEOPLE, police confirmed that both students died from carbon monoxide poisoning. “Toxicology results confirmed both subjects died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning,” the department said. “This was ruled accidental in nature and appears to be caused by a problem with the vehicle's exhaust.” University president Father Dave Pivonka later described the incident as a “tragic accident” that brought “profound sorrow to our entire Franciscan University community.”

Mary’s father Chris spoke about how dangerous the gas can be. “It's a silent killer. You don't smell it, you don't see it,” he told PEOPLE.

A quiet love story that grew fast

Mary, a junior studying theology and catechetics, was known as a straight-A student with a deep sense of faith. She also loved music and dance, sang, played a bit of piano and ukulele, and had danced for 15 years at the Oxford Center of Dance in Pennsylvania. One of six siblings, she adored children and had volunteered at an orphanage in Ecuador.

Luke, a business major and a defender on the university’s men’s lacrosse team, noticed her first in the cafeteria. He turned to a friend and called her the most beautiful girl on campus, something Mary later laughed about. “Mary would say, ‘Mom, I kid you not, I was wearing a sweatshirt, jammy pants and slippers and my hair in a messy bun,' ” her mother Christy said.

Their bond grew quickly. Christy told PEOPLE, “They definitely had true love.”

Plans for the future they never reached

Luke made real efforts to be part of Mary’s family. He played video games with her brothers and once waited three hours at an anime convention to get a signed photo from Chris’ favourite show. Chris later said, “That will always be the best gift I've ever received in my entire life because it was given out of so much love and so much connection.” He added, “It's so funny that he desperately wanted my approval — because he had it.”

Though young, they talked about marriage. Luke had not proposed, but Christy said they were already planning a wedding. Luke hoped to start a business making lacrosse gear more affordable, while Mary wanted to teach children and dreamed of being a wife and mother.

Warning signs and the final night

The U.S. Sun later reported troubling details from a police report. Friends said the car had gas issues weeks earlier. Mary had complained of a gas smell that made her sick, and on January 8, the couple had once passed out inside the same vehicle. Surveillance footage showed the car parking at 9:52 p.m. on January 18. Luke appeared unsteady as he got out, with Mary helping him back inside. The car lights switched on and off through the night.

Mary’s roommate discovered them the next day and called 911. They were pronounced dead at 12:28 p.m. No drugs or alcohol were found.

In death, their families chose to honour the life they planned together. “Mr. Reimer said, ‘Can they wear rings?’ And we're like, ‘Great,’ ” Chris recalled. “And Christy and I said, ‘Can we treat it as a wedding?’ ”

Mary was dressed in the red outfit she wore on Christmas Eve and placed in a white casket to symbolise a wedding dress. Luke’s black casket stood for a tuxedo. They wore blessed wedding bands, and locks of each other’s hair were placed over their hearts. A Bible passage about love being patient and kind was read.

Christy finds comfort in that choice. “Their story and their message is so important,” she said. “And that gives me a level of peace.” She also added, “We have our moments where we are a wreck, and then we have our moments where I can talk like a human being. And I'm going to see my Mary again someday. And she's with Luke, the love of her life.”