Our daughter Maylee was a shining example of goodness to those around her. We could not have been more proud of her. She was a fun-loving, positive, friendly, kind, thoughtful and grateful teenager with a funny, infectious and contagious laugh. She was very smart and did well in school—most of the time achieving “straight A’s.”
Maylee was born in Mesa, AZ on February 11, 1999. Within a few weeks, we moved to Cincinnati, OH, where Maylee was raised until she was 5 years old. In 2004, our family moved to Draper, UT. In 2013, we moved to Highland, UT. It was in Highland that Maylee flourished. We actually moved in large part for her—to be closer to family, friends, school, church and her dance studio.
Maylee loved her family, friends and her Heavenly Father. She was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She had earned her Young Woman medallion and was an inspiration to those in her classes. It didn’t take much to keep her entertained or happy. She was always so grateful for all that she had—whether in abundance or not.
She loved her friends, and since her passing, we have come to realize that the lives she touched and the impact she had on her friends was more than we knew. Maylee, was a “true friend” and she was often regarded as a “best friend” to those who knew her. Maylee saw beyond people’s flaws and imperfections, she loved people for who they were. With Maylee there were no qualifications and no pretext. She was true and genuine. She accepted others at face value and she didn’t try to be something she wasn’t.
Maylee had a great sense for fashion. She loved “bling” and sequins or anything that was sparkly. She loved life.
Maylee died as the result of injuries sustained in a car crash on Memorial Day, May 25, 2015. She made a mistake, and as a result in an instant, her life, our lives and the lives of countless other friends and family were changed forever. She was one day away from completing her sophomore year at Lone Peak High School. Maylee was driving and her mother, Christine, was in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. While turning left onto Highland Blvd. from 11800 North, they were t-boned on the driver’s side of the vehicle. Maylee’s head and left side of her body absorbed most of the impact. She was kept alive for nine minutes by three passerbys (a police sergeant, a doctor and a nurse), until a helicopter could arrive. Maylee and her mom were both taken by helicopter to separate hospitals. Maylee had extensive brain trauma and injuries to her body. She died in the hospital four days later, on Friday, May 29, 2015.
To say that Maylee’s death has had a profound impact on our family and community would be a gross understatement. People from around the world reached out to us and to Maylee while she was in the hospital, which provided a small, but insightful glimpse into the kind of special girl we had in our family. Our lives were forever changed. While we continue in faith, our hearts are broken and each day is difficult. At times the pain is so great that we simply don’t know how we can possibly move on, but we do . . . one day at a time—faithful that we’ll see our sweet Maylee again and be able to see her smile, hear her ever-infectious laugh, and feel her warm embrace. We love and miss you Maylee.
