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Following the tragic death of 16 year old Kelly Tracy at the hands of a drunk driver, a memorial fund has been established to help her family offset funeral expenses.

Kelly was a sophomore at Highland High School in Gilbert, and was a talented musician — participating in both the Marching Band and the Jazz Band. She was active in her church and was a remarkable young woman. She is loved and missed by many.

Donations may be made at any Washington Mutual (WaMu) bank. You can find the nearest one here (please note, some press reports incorrectly stated that an account was set up at Chase Bank. WaMu and Chase have merged, but the ONLY account we can use for the Memorial fund is at Washington Mutual).

The account name is “Benefit of Kelly Tracy Memorial Fund“

You can also donate on-line to the Kelly Tracy Memorial Fund. Just click on the DONATE button below or at the top right of this page and you can contribute via PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover. (You do not need a PayPal account).

This on-line donation is completely secure and no one (including PayPal or ChipIn) sees any of your personal information.

Also, there is a Memorial Car Wash to benefit the family of Kelly Tracy scheduled 11/22 from 8am to 12pm at Sonic - NE Corner of Williamsfield Rd and Val Vista Rd - put on by Mesquite High Band. A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to the Mesquite High Band!! You’ve just GOT to love these band kids!

Funeral Information for Kelly Tracy:

Kelly’s funeral service will be held on Friday, November 21st at 11AM.
City of Grace Church
655 E University Drive
Mesa AZ 85203
(University between Mesa Dr. and Horn) MAP

Read some of the things people have been saying about Kelly on Facebook and the Legacy Guestbook. Keep a box of Kleenex handy.

Please, I know times are tough for many, but if you can spare anything, even just a dollar, please donate. The last thing Kelly’s grieving family needs to worry about right now is money.

Feel free to link to this page or embed the donation code. The simplest way is to link to http://www.KellyTracyFund.com, which has been redirected here. Feel free to “Nofollow” the link as I don’t want, nor care about gaining “link love” and backlinks for this (sorry, for the Search Engine Optimization speak). This is about spreading the word of a family in crisis.

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The past 24 hours have been filled with sadness as we morn the loss of Kelly Tracy. Kelly was a 16 year old sophomore at Highland High School in Gilbert, AZ whose life was tragically cut short when she was killed by a drunk driver yesterday morning.

As her fellow Highland High Marching band mates were preparing to go to a performance in the Gilbert Days parade, Kelly and her brother Matt, a Senior at Highland and also in the band, were involved in a near head-on collision that occurred at 6:30am as they were just minutes from joining their band mates.

Mesa police say Manuel Contreras-Galdean, a 32 year old illegal immigrant, was intoxicated. According to ABC15, he has at least one prior conviction for drunk driving in Tempe in 2007.

I was a volunteer “band parent” yesterday and was with the kids when the announcement was made that Kelly had died. Thankfully Matt’s injuries are not life-threatening.

The outpouring of emotion was overwhelming. When a beautiful, vibrant young lady is struck down at such a young age, it is difficult to comprehend. That a man, previously convicted of drunk driving, was again driving drunk — at 6:30 in the morning — makes this all the more tragic. This tragedy, and the suffering of so many people, was completely preventable. It was a senseless act of murder.

Last night, dozens of Kelly’s friends gathered at her church to remember her. As the kids came to the front and told stories of Kelly, it became abundantly clear that we’d lost a very special person. Watching teenagers pour out their hearts, struggling to cope with a loss of this magnitude was both exceedingly painful and warmingly remarkable at the same time. No one, much less a group of teenagers, should ever have to go through what these kids were enduring. Yet their love for Kelly, and for her life, shined through. While I suspect many harbored thoughts of anger for the man who killed Kelly, no anger was expressed. What I saw was a bunch of amazing young adults, delivering deeply poignant messages. Last night was for Kelly, and those who loved her.

Personally, I can’t look at the picture of the “man” that killed Kelly without feeling sick to my stomach. I simply can not comprehend what was going through this animals mind when he slipped behind the wheel of a car yesterday morning, drunk, with no license. He’s alive today, and Kelly is dead. Contreras-Galden has been charged with one count of Manslaughter and one count of Aggravated Assault. If he gets out of prison before he dies then a travesty of justice will have been served. I know I should be able to forgive him, but I can not. I’ll leave that to a higher and greater power.

Please, please, don’t ever drink and drive. Take a cab, call a friend, do anything but get behind the wheel. It only takes a split-second to snuff out a life and to spread incalculable suffering.

An impromptu memorial to Kelly is in the beginning stages outside the Highland High School Band room (near the north west corner of the school). A Teddy bear with a Highland hat, a candle, and a picture have been left. I suspect this will grow over the next few days. As the kids return to school tomorrow and the word spreads of Kelly’s tragic death, these kids are in for a rough time. An empty seat in the classroom, a missing smile, a silent xylophone. These reminders and more will make these wonderful young adults sad, and angry. Time will ease the pain and anger, but time will not erase the wonderful memories Kelly Tracy left behind.

God speed Kelly. You will be missed, but never forgotten.

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The family will be setting up accounts to help defray the costs of Kelly’s funeral.  You can get more details here, including online donation.

Also, on Kelly’s beloved Facebook a group — In Loving Memory of Kelly Tracy — has been set up. 182 290 people have already joined.

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Update: In a sickening twist to this story, the Arizona Republic is now reporting that the driver that hit Matt’s car and killed Kelly was drunk. At 6:30 in the morning. He’s been charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault. And, this isn’t his first DUI conviction. I hope they throw away the key so this murderer can’t destroy another family.

Here is information on funeral services and a memorial fund.

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In yesterday’s post on the Gilbert Days events, I mentioned that I was volunteering with my daughter’s band — the Highland High School Marching Band — to help them march in the parade.

Very early this morning we were loading up the buses to head to the parade, and we got the awful news that two of the band members, brother and sister Matt and Kelly Tracy, were involved in a car accident on the way to school.

Shortly before the band was scheduled to march, the band director gathered everyone together and delivered the news that Matt was going to be OK, but that Kelly, a sophomore, was in very critical condition and not expected to live.

Needless to say, the kids were devastated and the decision was made to cancel the march and head back to school.

What happened next was probably the most emotional thing I’ve ever experienced.

After arriving back at Highland, the kids gathered in the band room and the Highland High principal made the tragic announcement that Kelly had passed away.

Believe me when I tell you that you never want to be in a room with 150 kids when they find out a friend has just died. The emotion was overwhelming. The school did a great job, and had a grief counselor present. But it was an agonizing, gut-wrenching experience for all involved.

I simply don’t have the vocabulary to describe the scene and the grief that came spilling out over the next hour or so. We are so thankful that Matt will be OK. He was released from the hospital in time to join his Mom at the hospital Kelly was transported to. I don’t have all the details, but it’s believed that Kelly never regained consciousness before she passed.

As heartbreaking as it was to be there when the news was delivered, I am glad Francy and I were able to be there for our daughter and her friends. And of course our grief is nothing compared to what Matt and the Tracy family are going through. Our hearts and prayers go out to them and all that Kelly touched in her short life.

Rest in peace Kelly.

Update:
The mainstream media is starting to get the story.
Arizona Republic -Gilbert band member killed in crash on way to parade
East Valley Tribune - Gilbert student killed in crash on way to parade
ABC15 - Teen killed in crash on way to march in Gilbert parade
NBC12 - Gilbert band member killed in crash on way to parade

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Gilbert Days begins in earnest today.

“What’s a Gilbert Days?” you may be asking yourself.

To quote from the Town of Gilbert’s page:

The annual Gilbert Days celebration is a week-long series of events and activities that pay tribute to the Town’s rich western heritage.

Actually it’s ten days long, but who’s counting.

Yep, this place we call home was formerly a part of the wild wild west. To celebrate that heritage, we’ve got a parade (that yours truly will be marching in alongside the mighty Highland High School Marching Band. If you’re there, wave!), several rodeo events (both amateur and professional), fun runs, a carnival, dances, and more.

Here’s a list of Gilbert Days events. For more info, see GilbertDays.com:

Friday, November 14
• Pony Express Opening Ceremony
Held at the Gilbert Post Office on Elliot Rd. 9:00am

Saturday, November 15
• Gilbert Days Parade: 9:00am, runs down Gilbert Rd between Juniper St. and Gilbert Town Square
• Gilbert Days After Parade Party: 11:00am–5:00pm
Held outside Gilbert Town Hall, 1025 S. Gilbert Rd

Wednesday, November 19
• Jackpot Roping, 6:00pm. Close: 6:45pm. Roping: 7:00pm. #12 handicapped pick 2 draw 2, Buckles & money for 1st place, Paying 5 places $160.00 entry fee, 3 steer roping, payout to fast times in first 2 rounds, added money

Thursday, November 20
• Gilbert Days Carnival 3:30-10:00pm
• Gilbert Days Barrel Race
$200 Added Open, $1000 in Buckle Awards to Open (5) Youth (1) Senior (1) PW Ribbons
AW4D points Co-Sanctioned with Gilbert Days Barrel Race   Books & Time Only’s Open 5:00-7:30pm
Show Time: 7:30pm ~Book will remain open during race
Pre Entries due Nov 17, 2008 for the Pre draw on Nov 19th no late fee for entering at show for 2nd draw @ 7:15pm etc
Email: barreldream[AT]aol.com
Download Barrel Racing Entry Form

Friday, November 21
• Gilbert Days Carnival 3:30-10:00pm
• Lil’ Dudes Rodeo, sign-up 4:30pm, begins 5:00pm
• IPRA Rodeo, gates open 5:00pm, begins 7:00pm
• Calf Scramble, held during the IPRA Rodeo Performance. FREE for ages 4-12, must sign-up inside the ticket gate
• Family Classic Rock Dance 9:30pm-12:30am
Free with Friday night rodeo ticket or $5 at the gate
All ages are welcome! The band is ‘2 Knuckles Deep’

Saturday, November 22
• Gilbert Days Carnival 12:00pm-12:00am
• Lil’ Dudes Rodeo, sign-up 11:30am, begins 12:00pm
• IPRA Rodeo, gates open 12:00pm, begins 2:00pm
• Calf Scramble, held during the IPRA Rodeo Performance. FREE for ages 4-12, must sign-up inside the ticket gate
• Gilbert Days Dance 8:00pm-12:30am
Admission: $15.00 • Must be 21 years old to enter

Sunday, November 23
• Gilbert Days Carnival 12:00-10:00pm
• Lil’ Dudes Rodeo, sign-up 11:30am, begins 12:00pm
• IPRA Rodeo, gates open 12:00pm, begins 2:00pm
• Calf Scramble, held during the IPRA Rodeo Performance. FREE for ages 4-12, must sign-up inside the ticket gate

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