Thomas Lazarz said his wife, 76-year-old Soile Lazarz, died after being hit by a car along Ederlee Drive near Regency Parkway.
"She was my own Dolly Parton. She doesn't look like her anyway, but she had the same similar kind of spirit," Thomas Lazarz said.
The couple were college sweethearts from Sweden and built a life together with their daughter and granddaughter, he said.
"She kept my spirit on track," he said.
Thomas Lazarz said his wife routinely took a three-mile walk each day. On Wednesday morning, his wife made the walk alone.
"I usually walk with her, but I slept over . She walked without me and I was having my breakfast and was watching the news and I started to think, well, she has been gone for a while now," he said.
Nearly two hours after she left home, he said, a police officer came to his door.
"And I was a bit worried.. Why doesn't she show up? And then around 9:00, a police officer was on my door, and then it clicked. I understood almost that something must have happened," he said.
According to Cary police, a driver in a black SUV struck Soile Lazarz shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday.
"The car must have come pretty fast, actually, because she's very cautious," Thomas Lazarz said.
"She obeys traffic laws like no one I have experienced. And she watched carefully before she cross even if she's you're using a pedestrian cross so that car must have showed up very rapidly."
Police have not announced what caused the crash or whether speed was a factor. Thomas Lazarz said the area where the crash occurred is heavily traveled and that drivers often exceed the speed limit.
"It's too fast traffic. I would be surprised if anyone is actually holding the speed limit," he said.
"Keep the speed limit and respect the crossing. They're clearly marked. Pay attention."
As the investigation continues, Thomas Lazarz said he wants people to remember his wife for her character and commitment to others.
"She was quite valued for her objectivity. And she burned for equal opportunities for all."
No charges have been filed against the driver involved in the crash, according to authorities.