Attached to the plush teddy bear and reindeer outside the Parkville town house is a note, scrawled by a child in green marker.

“One day,” it reads, “you will all be reunited.”

The words provide a glimmer of hope for what’s left of the Griffin family, shattered after a car crash Sunday in Toledo, Ohio, killed five of them as they made their way home from spending Christmas in Michigan.

Police said a drunken driver traveling on the wrong side of the highway slammed into the family’s Chevy Astro van, killing Bethany Griffin, 36, and her 8-week-old daughter, Vadi Griffin, along with two of her children from a previous marriage: Lacie Burkman, 7 and Haley Burkman, 10.

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Her new husband, Danny Griffin, 36, was listed in serious condition at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo Tuesday. Jordan Griffin, his 10-year-old daughter from a previous marriage who lived in Redford Township, Mich., also died. Another child from his previous marriage, 8-year-old Sydney Griffin, who also lived in Redford Township, Mich., remained in critical condition, and his stepson, Beau Burkman, 8, was released from St. Vincent Tuesday.

The driver of the other vehicle, 24-year-old Michael Gagnon of Adrian, Mich., was released from St. Vincent Monday evening and charged with five counts of vehicular homicide. Police said Gagnon’s blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was .25 percent, more than three time’s Ohio’s legal limit.

Friends and neighbors of the Griffins described the family as close-knit.

Still in shock over the news, grieving classmates and teachers at Carney Elementary School — where Lacie, Haley and Beau attended — anticipated a difficult return to school today after the holiday break.

Just before Christmas, family members had brought the infant to school for a holiday party, and all the kids beamed at the little miracle.

“It’s going to be a hard day; the teachers are a mess,” said Eileen Roberta, principal of Carney Elementary School. “The family has a long history at this school.”

Neighbor Paul Gloria described Bethany Griffin as a doting mother who decorated her home for each season, often choosing patriotic-themed ornaments.

Tuesday, white icicle lights were strung across second-story windows, and a plush snowman with an embroidered Baltimore Ravens emblem greeted visitors at a side door.

“She was like most people,” Gloria said. “She didn’t have a lot of money but she never shortchanged her children. She made sure they always got to go to the places other kids go and had everything they needed.”

jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com