Olivia, our gift, was born on July 28, 1996. We didn’t know the full extent of the gift she truly was until she became our angel on June 23, 2011.

 

Olivia was an incredible daughter, a wonderful sister, and a caring friend. When Olivia was growing up, she was just a shy, sweet, introverted child. In middle school, she transformed herself into a social butterfly and an outgoing, beautiful young lady. She was a precious young woman who poured out her kindness and her character to everyone she came in contact with. The simple joy of her smile or of her sweetness could brighten anyone’s day. She had this contagious laugh that you could recognize in a heartbeat. Olivia just loved life.

 

She loved playing soccer. She loved being a part of her teams and was always the team’s best cheerleader. She loved sailing. She loved being out on the water and in the water. She was following in her sister’s footsteps and was making herself and her family proud. She loved skiing in the winter and was quite the downhill bomber. She loved doing so many things, whether that be taking photos, eating out, playing with animals, or hanging out at the mall with her friends. She lived everyday of her life with such pure joy and she poured her love into everyone she met.

 

By any account, Olivia was a normal teenager, with the same challenges that most teenagers go through. Unlike a lot of kids her age, Olivia was the friend that you could always count on for a kind word, a real hug, or her infectious laugh when you needed it most. Add in her extraordinary personality and you start to understand why her death has touched so many people. Olivia was gifted in qualities that cannot be measured. Not until she was gone, did we realize the sheer number of people who have been positively impacted by her.

 

So many people have been touched by Olivia or by her story. That is the story of a sweet, talented girl whose life was taken away in a tragic sailing accident. Although we don’t know why, we know her Savior, Jesus, took her in his arms and raised her to heaven. We see Olivia’s spirit everywhere and know that Olivia is smiling down upon us. We hope that the foundation can honor Olivia and do all the good we can, for whomever we can, in her spirit.