I don’t think it’s reasonable to give her lifetime benefits based on his seasonal status, but it does seem like the part timers could be indemnified some way to give the next of kin a few years worth of income to get them over the tough part.
As for the mom, I’m not sure what her situation is. Was he supporter her too?
Generally I think of his wife and children in an instance like this.
It seems the city could come up with something to help out. It may ultimately cost the city a few million, but this is a massive loss for the families here.
How about partial benefits until the kids hit 18?