A year after their father's death, Corey Comperatore's daughters still looking for their new normal

Each Valentine’s Day, Allyson Comperatore said, her father brought home flowers for her and her sister.

This February, the first without their dad, friends and neighbors came together to shower the daughters with flowers.

“We’ve had people there for us every step of the way, whether it was shoulders to cry on or people celebrating with us through milestones,” said Allyson, 28.

July 13 marks a year since her father, Corey Comperatore, was shot and killed while shielding his family during the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at a political rally in Butler County.

And in that year, Allyson and Kaylee Comperatore, 25, said they’ve found support in the community around them as they figure out a new normal for their family.

In the days after their father’s death, Kaylee said, friends and neighbors delivered food to the family and helped with simple tasks like mowing their mother’s Buffalo Township lawn.

The first holidays without their father, Allyson said, were particularly hard.

On Thanksgiving, though, Allyson said she found solace in a social media message from a stranger in Maine, who said they were thinking of the Comperatores on the holiday.

To Kaylee, planning the “Corey’s Cruise” memorial event, which took place Saturday, gave the family some purpose throughout the year as a way to honor Corey and return the favor to the community.

The event’s revenue will go toward first responders, local churches and Doberman dog rescues.

Corey was a churchgoing volunteer firefighter with a love of Dobermans, so each of the charities commemorates important aspects of her father’s life, Kaylee said.

Still, she said the family also remembered Corey in simpler ways, like returning to his favorite fishing spots and constantly telling stories about him.

After a year reluctantly in the limelight, filled with high-profile political events — including attending the State of the Union address — the sisters said they’re hoping for a return to a more private life and a chance to grieve.

“I was definitely naive last year,” Allyson said. “I figured, after a couple months, things would die down, and they just never have.”

Because of the whirlwind of events that followed Corey’s death, Kaylee said, the family’s grieving process has been delayed. In recent months, however, she’s had more time to truly mourn her dad, who has just turned 50 at the time of his death.

Though things won’t be the same without him, Allyson said she’s hopeful her sister and mother, Helen, can find a new family routine.

Preferring to spend time in her garden, Allyson said she’s much more of a homebody than a public figure.

“Just because things never really slowed down, I don’t think we ever caught up to figure out what was going to be normal,” Allyson said.

Even as they seek quieter days, the sisters are thankful for the “overwhelming” support from friends in Butler County and strangers throughout the country.

“That what my dad’s job was: taking care of us,” Kaylee said. “He took care of literally everything. So, losing him was a big shell-shock to all of us.

“But I know he’d be happy with how the community has come together and taken care of us.”