A Grieving Community’s Goodbye

There were lots of tears but also some smiles Monday as more than 2,000 people--many of them teenagers--gathered at an Irvine church to remember Kristin Godfrey, the 16-year-old Woodbridge High School student killed in a lunchtime car crash last week.

“This is an overwhelming show of support,” said Dan Rasmussen, an official of the city’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which set up live video feeds from the sanctuary to three other rooms to handle the overflow crowd.

About 30 students wore hand-lettered T-shirts honoring their friend with the slogan “It’s Not Easy Being a Princess Like Kristin.”

The teen died Thursday when a van in which she was riding with three other students hydroplaned on rain-slick Alton Parkway and slammed into a concrete utility pole a few blocks from campus. The driver and two other passengers suffered minor injuries in the 12:30 p.m. crash. But Kristin was seated at the point of impact, directly behind the front passenger’s seat, and she died at the scene.

Police said the student at the wheel was driving legally and was not exceeding the speed limit. All four students had their parents’ permission to leave campus for their 45-minute lunch break.

The Rev. Roger Emry, who officiated at Monday’s memorial service, characterized it as a celebration of the young woman’s life. “Kristin loved people and people loved her,” he said. “All who knew her coveted her comfort and companionship. She will be missed, but she leaves as a legacy her unconditional love.”

As her friends took the podium to say their farewells, Doug Keoller drew laughter by describing the day they met. “I remember thinking,” he recalled, “that this was one of the weirdest girls I’d ever met. I find it ironic now that the weirdness is the thing I fell in love with.”

He recalled Kristin’s optimism and joy. “She truly taught me that life is fun,” Keoller said, “that you can have fun doing anything. She was just never down. You could have the worst day, and she’d pop out of nowhere and make it all right.”

Nicole Hubbard, one of Kristin’s teammates on the school’s volleyball team, said the rest of the season will be dedicated to her. “You are the star of our team,” she said. “You are our guardian angel, now that you finally got your wings.”

Glenn White, a family friend whose son, Chris, had known Kristin since third grade, paused several times mid-sentence to choke back tears. “Kristin cared, and Kristin was a friend,” he said. “She made a positive difference in my life. How truly joyful the inhabitants of Heaven must be today.”

And at the end of the service, the pastor urged mourners to take the unusual step of standing up to express their appreciation for a life well lived. “When actors leave the stage,” Emry said, “there is an ovation for a job well done. Well done, Kristin, well done!”

The applause was loud and long.