Friends and relatives of a Sydney woman who died alongside her two young children and husband in tragic circumstances have gathered for an emotional memorial on the first anniversary of their deaths.
The bodies of Maria Lutz, 43, her husband Fernando Manrique and their children Elisa, 11 and Martin, 10, were found inside the family's Davidson home, in Sydney's north, in October 2016 in what police suspect was an apparent murder-suicide instigated by Mr Manrique.
A year on from the tragedy, a group of about 170 friends and relatives of the family gathered at the children's school, St Lucy's in Wahroonga, to remember Ms Lutz, who was a much-loved volunteer, and launch an exhibition of artworks by Elisa and Martin, who were both autistic.
Ms Lutz's father Ernesto Lutz said he was proud of his daughter and grateful for the support shown by the school and its tight-knit community in what has been a difficult year.
"That's why we came, just to say thank you," Mr Lutz told AAP after arriving in Sydney with wife Alicia from their home in Colombia for Monday night's private memorial service.
"I am so proud and we are so grateful.
"Maria was quite a character. She would have been overwhelmed (by the art exhibition)."
One of Ms Lutz's close friends Peta Rostirola, whose son also attends St Lucy's, described the past year as "one of the most painful of our lives".
"Maria wouldn't want us to continue to grieve," she said.
"She would say, this life is worth living, it's good, it's beautiful and it's in colour."
Ms Lutz had worked with staff at the school on plans to exhibit her children's artworks in the months before their deaths.
A total of 21 paintings, drawings, collages and computer-generated pieces have been assembled for the exhibition, which will be displayed at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art and other galleries.
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