He held her when she was born. And he held her when she died on her 16th birthday.
All Jason Alexander has left are his dead daughters' names, Tayla and Sunmara, freshly tattooed on his neck, and his memories.
Both girls were passengers in a car that went over a bank and burst into flames on Summit Rd, in Christchurch's Port Hills on November 27.
Yesterday, Alexander farewelled his "little soldier" Sunmara, 16, after burying her sister Tayla, 17, two weeks ago.
"I've lost both my girls. With Tayla I got 'Sorry, your daughter is dead' and there was nothing I could do about it. With Sunmara I had to sit there and watch doctors slowly [battle to save her] - it was horrible."
Sunmara spent more than two weeks in the critical unit at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital where she underwent multiple skin grafts and amputation of her arm and foot in a bid to stop infection spreading.
"Watching your daughter die is just wrong. When the doctor said, 'It's going to be soon', I held her head and blubbed," Alexander said.
On the night of November 27, Alexander left the family's Ashburton home to visit his partner Lisa. The girls sneaked out, got into an older teenage boy's car and headed towards Christchurch.
Tayla died when the car went over a bank and burst into flames on Summit Rd about 11pm. Her funeral was held in Ashburton the following week, with her bright yellow coffin covered in flowers and heartfelt tributes.
Tayla sent a text to a friend showing concerns for her safety moments before the crash, saying "I'm gonna die tonight".
She said she was concerned about the speed of the car.
A police spokesperson said inquiries into the crash are ongoing and there were no charges at this stage.
Alexander remains adamant he doesn't want the 19-year-old driver of the car to be punished or trolled on social media.
"We all make mistakes as teenagers - there is no point being angry, it won't bring my girls back and that's all I want. The boy will be feeling very scared, especially now."
Yesterday family and friends gathered again, this time at the Ashburton Hotel, to farewell Sunmara. She was carried out in a blue coffin to her favourite "funeral" song Behind Blue Eyes.
"Sunmara had an infectious laugh, she was a rebel with 100 causes. She loved Harleys and V8 cars and wanted to go out with a roar, so it was fitting they led the hearse," Alexander said.
The father who raised his daughters for the past 11 years wanted an open casket for his youngest but one side of her face was covered with cadaver bandages.
"You could barely recognise her, it was traumatising because that was the last image I have. I didn't want that to be my last memory," he said.
But he thanked the medical staff at Middlemore Hospital who worked tirelessly to save Sunmara. He also thanked the many kind strangers who donated money and one who even offered a kidney.
Alexander doesn't want his daughters to die in vain; some good must come out of this tragedy.
"Sunmara suffered so much. I want that road sorted out and to have more barriers up. It's a really dangerous road where all the boy racers go, and of course, there are big drops everywhere," he said.
Family friend Kelli Foster has created a petition on behalf of Alexander, which will be given to the Christchurch City Council, the NZ Transport Agency and to Parliament.
Speaking previously to the Herald on Sunday, Alexander promised to bring Sunmara home - but not in a box.
"My entire life has been wiped out. I don't want to go home without them in it because every door, every, wall, every stain on the carpet is a memory. It's going to be especially hard on my own knowing my girls aren't there. My breaking point will happen after Sunmara's funeral. That's when it will sink in I have lost them both. They were extremely close - now they will be together again forever."
OPINION: New Zealander reflects on delivering speech at St James' Palace.