Kristin grew up in North Salt Lake, attended Orchard Elementary and South Davis Jr. High, and had recently graduated in 2007 from Woods Cross High School. Kristin was attending the University of Utah, intending to become a veterinarian.

On January 2, 2008, we were to meet Kristin and Mikaela, her youngest sister, in Price at about 6:30 p.m. The girls had spent Christmas and New Year’s with their dad, and were coming down to visit before they had to start school. Their dad usually ran a bit late, so we waited and went to get something to eat. We tried calling both Brian and Kristin’s cell phones, but couldn’t reach them. At 8:30 p.m., we decided to check with the Price Police Department to see if they knew if something was going on in Spanish Fork Canyon that was delaying them. They told us there had been a bad wreck and asked my children’s names and what color of car they were in. I had a gutwrenching feeling by what they were asking that something was not right. We had barely left the Police Department when Primary Children’s Medical Center called and said my daughter Mikaela had been in a car accident and to make sure I bring someone with me for support. I asked about Kristin and was told she was taken to another hospital. At this point, I felt that Kristin had not made it because, if she had, she would probably have been taken to Primary Children’s too.

We started heading toward the wreck and finally turned our hazard lights on and drove on the wrong side of the road to get to the wreck site, since they had basically shut the road down and were still cleaning up. The officer said they hit black ice and lost control. The car veered into oncoming traffic and was T-boned on the passenger side where Kristin was. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Mikaela was in stable condition and their father was in critical condition. The officer gave us a police escort out of the canyon. The accident happened on the only place on Highway 6 that had snow and ice that night. This accident could possibly have been avoided if the road had been sanded or cleared.

At Kristin’s funeral, I was touched to see how many people were there. I didn’t know how many lives she had touched. She loved to make people laugh. Looking through all the family pictures we have of her, she either has a smile on her face or is making a funny face. Kristin will be greatly missed. Not a day goes by that we don’t think of her. Some days are harder than others, especially family gatherings or holidays. You never know what will set you off crying. Alan Jackson’s song, “Sissy’s Song,“ reminds me so much of Kristin. Cherish each day you have with your family because life can change in an instant.