On June 29th 2010 Katie was hit by a car as she walked home from visiting a soccer camp with a friend. That night the doctors told us there was nothing they could do for Katie. Katie’s spirit had already flown. Katie was a remarkable young woman who experienced and accomplished much in her short life. She was an athlete, musician, composer and avid writer who wrote many poems, stories and songs.

At the awards ceremony concluding her 8th grade year an elite singing group from her middle school and the school chorus performed two of Katie’s original pieces of music while she accompanied them on piano, I’m Like a Flame and Mission. Many people were amazed by the music that she wrote and the power and inspiration in the message of both songs. The song, Like a Flame, was almost prophetic as we now look back to the events of that summer.

Katie loved to play soccer. She played Keeper. Every year she got better and eventually started playing in a premier club soccer league. It was here that she met, became friends with and was respected by many young women in the soccer community. Katie was an accomplished keeper who trained harder than most young women her age.

Katie also was a remarkable writer for her age. We found hundreds of pages of her work which include many poems, songs and stories. When she was eleven, Katie wrote a letter to the Unknown Soldier for Memorial Day and a local paper published it. It so touched a Korean War veteran that he came to her school and gave her one of his bronze medals. All this before she even finished fifth grade.