By admin 
MARANA, Ariz. (13 News) – Dozens of friends, family members and coworkers gathered Friday at a Home Depot off Thornydale Road to remember Kyrsten Sovereign, a 23-year-old woman killed in a hit-and-run crash one week ago.
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The memorial included a balloon release in which attendees wrote personal messages to Sovereign before letting them go.
Sovereign was struck from behind while driving to a barrel race competition in San Tan Valley on July 10th. The impact launched her vehicle into oncoming traffic, where it was struck again by an SUV. Sovereign was killed. A second person in her car was critically injured, and two other people were also hurt in the crash.
Friend Adan Gomez, who said Sovereign lived with, says she became like a sister, described the past week as the hardest of his life.
“It’s been the worst week of my life. I mean, going to seeing her literally every day,” Gomez said. “Emptiness that will never be filled again.”
Gomez said Sovereign was also a fixture in the Rodeo community, where she competed in barrel racing.
“She was on her way to win buckles and saddles and be really good at this sport,” he said.
He described her in simple terms: “Loyal, loving, amazing. You can’t just use a few words to describe Kyrsten ‘cause she was one of a kind, and she was everything to us.”
Friend Cooper Wall said the size of the crowd during the tribute friday reflected Sovereign’s reach.
“I was expecting this to be a very small, quaint kind of memorial, so it’s impactful and it feels like a good way to honor her,” Wall said.
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Wall also recalled her presence, which was a theme of many of the messages written on the balloons Friday.
“She walked into a room and you’d hear her laugh, and you’d just know she was there, and it kinda made the day better,” he said.
While those messages were released, the one thing many of those in attendance will continue to hold onto is the spirit in which Sovereign lived her life.
“Do what you love and never let anything stop you from doing it, and that was her motto. It didn’t matter what was going on, if she wanted to do it and she loved doing it, she was going to do it,” Gomez said.
58-year-old Dave Gilbert Loescher, the alleged driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash, has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies.
Family and friends have set up GoFundMe campaigns to help cover memorial costs and support the other victims of the crash.
You can find the links here:
Fundraiser for Jordan O’Neal by Amanda Keenum : Help Honor Kyrsten’s Memory and Final Farewell
www.gofundme.com/f/support-aversas-healing-journey
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