Family and friends of murdered Abbotsford mother Leanne Friesen are reeling while struggling to secure her children's future.

Friesen's twin sister, Tammie Mack, said she and her family are devastated by the murder.

"We're not good. It's so hard to lose a twin . . . I feel like I died," said Mack, unable to hold back her tears.

"We talked 40 times a day. She was amazing and always there for her kids."

Friesen, 40, was found by Abbotsford police officers dead in her home with gunshot wounds on Wednesday night.

Her estranged husband, Jeffrey Friesen, was arrested on scene and is charged with second-degree murder.

The victim's family is scrambling to make provisions for Friesen's son and daughter, aged 11 and 12, said Mack.

"We want for them to be happy . . . and not hurt," she said.

Friesen didn't have life insurance and her husband has emptied her accounts and RRSP savings, she added.

Family and friends are in the process of setting up a trust fund for the children in an effort to keep their lives as normal as possible and support them now and into the future, said Mack.

"They are left with nothing. [Her son] plays hockey and we want to continue his dream of being a goalie for the NHL," she said.

"His sister dances . . . and one day wants to be an actress. She's got the personality for it.

"I hope this doesn't make her a different person."

A Facebook memorial page has been set up, and Friesen's friends in Abbotsford and her childhood community of Westbank have been posting messages of condolences to the family.

"He may have stopped your heart from beating, but he can't take away the love you felt for people close to you, nor can he have ever fully known the love that is held for you," wrote Kristy Gevers.

"He was unable to extinguish what you will always be to your kids; to your sisters and brother; to your parents; or to the rest of us."

Mack, who saw her sister in Abbotsford about a week ago, said Jeffrey Friesen hadn't been living in the family home for a couple of months.

"We don't understand why he was there," she said, adding her sister had been fearful of her husband for a long time.

She disputes Abbotsford Police claims that they didn't have any reported incidents of violence at the home. Mack wants other women fearful of domestic violence to never take the risk of staying with their partners.

"I hope that other women out there that live in fear in a domestic situation get out and hide. I don't care what it takes," she said.

"Don't stay thinking nothing is going to happen, but guess what, it does . . ."

Mack said she is overwhelmed by the memories she shared with her sister.

"There are too many," she said. "She had a big heart. In our younger years we lived together and we went out dancing together her and I . . . she loved that."

? Check for information about the Friesen children's trust fund at www.abbotsfordtimes.com.

RBaker@abbotsfordtimes.com