HGTV's Mina Starsiak Mourns the Death of Sister-in-Law Stefanie: 'She Was Such a Bright Light'

Mina Starsiak Hawk is in mourning after her sister-in-law, Stefanie Hawk, “unexpectedly” passed away on Thursday.

The Good Bones star, 32, shared the heartbreaking news in an Instagram post on Friday, writing, “There’s no easy way to share this. Yesterday we unexpectedly lost my sister, Stefanie Hawk.”

“She was such a bright light in all of our lives for such a long time,” she shared. “There is nothing to say that makes it easier or better, especially in this time where our access to loved ones and friends is so limited.”

Starsiak Hawk went on to explain that her family will not be hosting a memorial in the meantime given the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Given this impossible situation we are all in with the restrictions we need to respect, we have decided that a gathering will not be possible. As soon as we can make some decisions, we will share information regarding a celebration of Stefs life,” she wrote in the post.

View this post on Instagram There's no easy way to share this. Yesterday we unexpectedly lost my sister, Stefanie Hawk. She was such a bright light in all of our lives for such a long time. There is nothing to say that makes it easier or better, especially in this time where our access to loved ones and friends is so limited. Given this impossible situation we are all in with the restrictions we need to respect, we have decided that a gathering will not be possible. As soon as we can make some decisions, we will share information regarding a celebration of Stefs life. If you knew her at all, you knew her pups were her world. And her passion for animal rescue was just a small part of her amazing spirit. The Asher House held a special place in her heart. In lieu of flowers, we would love donations be made on her behalf. You can visit their site at https://www.theasherhouse.com/donate

A post shared by Mina Starsiak Hawk (@mina_starsiak_hawk) on Mar 27, 2020 at 1:36pm PDT

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While the HGTV home renovation host did not give any details of her sister-in-law’s death, she did open up about Stefanie’s love of animals.

“If you knew her at all, you knew her pups were her world. And her passion for animal rescue was just a small part of her amazing spirit,” she shared, encouraging fans to support The Asher House, an organization promoting dog adoption that “held a special place in her heart.”

“In lieu of flowers, we would love donations be made on her behalf.”

A representative for Starsiak Hawk did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Starsiak Hawk is currently expecting her second child with husband Steve Hawk after an emotional battle with infertility.

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The couple, who are parents to 1-year-old son Jack Richard, announced the baby news earlier this month, exclusively telling PEOPLE that they “feel incredibly lucky” about the pregnancy.

Starsiak Hawk recalled of their struggles to conceive, “Based on our experience with Jack, by month three of trying, I was like, ‘This is not going to schedule. This isn’t how it happened the first time. There’s no reason it should be taking this long.'”

The star underwent an IUI (intrauterine insemination) after her first round of IVF failed.

“We wanted to try one more time,” the mom said. “And then I think we both would have been okay and settled with being done, but the one more time worked.”

“It doesn’t feel real yet,” she added. “But when we heard the heartbeat, there were so many happy tears.”