The children of Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman are speaking out on their parents' murders. “They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can’t believe they are gone," Sophie and Colin Hortman wrote in a statement obtained by PEOPLE Monday.

"The best way to honor our parents' memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else.”

Early Saturday morning, Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were assassinated in their home.

When a longtime Minnesota lawmaker died after a battle with ALS, former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman helped pass historic legislation in search of a cure.

Minneapolis mourns the assassination of Speaker Hortman and husband; city emphasizes democracy, safety, and community events.

Friends and colleagues mourning Melissa Hortman hailed the longtime Democratic legislator as a dedicated public servant, a straight-talking and savvy political operator and a kind and committed colleague,

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar tells PEOPLE about the legacy of her late friend Melissa Hortman, a longtime state legislator. Melissa and her husband, Mark Hortman, were fatally shot on Saturday, June 14,

The company intends to remember the husband of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman for “his intelligence, kindness, and generosity.”