Maria walked through life surrounded by a yellow-golden, shimmering light. Her aura was bright, and she spread her joyful, warm, loving nature wherever she went. She was electric.

Maria, I fell in love with you the moment we met and became best friends. From that moment on, you were my earth angel. And you always will be.

You were always patient, always kind, happy and loving. No one experienced more joy for life than you, and no one made me feel more alive than you. In quiet, dark moments, your innate light always helped me get through.

Maria, it's really dark right now. I wish you were still here to guide me through this. I know you're somewhere, dancing in a sunflower field—your favorites.

You may be somewhere else now, but you're also within me, and I will try to carry the light you shared inside my heart.

For the rest of my life, I will try—because I love you and because your impact on my life was profound. Every moment with you was happy, every memory special. And now you're gone. I’m numb with sadness, in disbelief. Knowing you and calling you my best friend has been one of the greatest joys of my life.

My heart is with Ryan, your family, and everyone who experienced your bright existence, now shattered by your sudden and premature absence.

I love you, my angel.

I will always remember the sweet little girl who would sit in my lap at soccer and throw grass at me and laugh and laugh!!!!

Much love to you Maria, and to your whole family who loves you.  

Maria, Maria I just met a girl named Maria 💗 something my dad sang everytime you walked in our house. I don’t know where to begin and it all kind of feels like a sick joke to talk about you like you aren’t here. I cannot thank you enough for being such a huge part of my childhood and my life. You were so unapologetically yourself, goofy, loving, caring, silly, & just a ray of light. You made everyone around you laugh constantly. You made yourself at home where ever you went, personally requesting snacks for my mom to pick up that you didn’t have at home, coloring Easter eggs at our house, getting off the school bus and watching soap operas and falling asleep on our couch. Invading every piece of personal space we had, but only out of love. Hugging us to tight and asking “can you feel it? Can you feel my love?” and then licking our face. Birthday parties, first days of school holidays, and everything in between, you were there. I also remember you constantly conning me into cleaning your room, but I didn’t care because I had OCD and you made me laugh while you laid on your bed and watched me.  

We somehow found an obsession with the movie “love guru” and watched it religiously quoting every word (what a weird movie) but died laughing every time like it was the first time we watched it. You gave me a candle at your sweet 16 and I remember feeling so blessed to be loved so much by you. I remember driving you to high school blasting Domino by Jesse J on repeat because you loved it so much. You came to my senior meet for gymnastics because my family couldn’t make it. You sat up with me nights on end while I cried about the same problems I always had. I think you might have accidentally saved my life. (I know you did) There was truly a time in our lives when Jess Sam and Kelsey went to college, where we didn’t do anything separate to the point where your friends started calling us “butt buddies”. We would go shopping in each others closets on Sundays to pick out outfits for the week, I even wore half your sweatshirts so “Panzini” was on my back.

Every time I saw you post college I felt like we never skipped a beat, you were the same Maria you always were, funny, light hearted, energetic, just beyond amazing in every way. A soul that should not have left this earth. I hope everyday to be more like you. There is not a moment I will look back on our friendship, and my childhood that I will not cherish. We were so blessed in so many ways and I will miss you always. This neighborhood will never be the same. I am forever changed in the best ways because of you. We were so lucky to grow up the way we did and I’ll never take that for granted. I want to go back and relive all those moments again. I love you wee, so much. my heart is forever changed. Til I see you again 💛🤍🪽

Natalie Delligatti 

Oh, Wee Thang where do I start? You were and still are my oldest and best friend. If only our parents knew when they moved into our neighborhood, the lifelong relationship that ourselves, Jess and Sam would build. How many nights did we spend watching the Little Vampire VHS on bean bag chairs or smashing nibbler pretzels with bats in my basement? In our youngest years you were more of a brother to me than a sister in your (very long) Tom Boy phase. As we grew up, you became a beautiful, loving woman and found Ryan, an incredible human, to complement your boundless energy & share the rest of your life with.

Through it all, we were together attached at the hip, going to and doing everything as a pair from life's highest highs to life's lowest lows; What I would give to run around another block party, take care of English Cocker Spaniel puppies together, have another sleepover, and have you hang on me like a koala & lick my face every time I see you. When MacKenzie and I got engaged, you and Ryan were among the first people I facetimed to share my happiness with. We were supposed to get married 5 weeks apart from each other and share yet another milestone of our lives together.

Combing through my yearbooks, you wrote some of the simplest things that we took for granted & had no idea would mean so much in a time like right now: 

"By the way, hi see you at home" -Elementary School

"Can't wait for this summer, don't worry you will be with me everywhere ;)" - Jr. High School

"As we're leaving each other's sides for the first time since the womb, I honestly don't know what I'm going to do without you... You're my brother JP, couldn't imagine life without you and I'm glad I don't have to. I know you're going to be my best friend for life. I love you with all my heart JP." - High School

Even just last week you were begging me to go to the High School Reunion with you and Emily and talking about how much better at Chess I am than Ryan. I don't know what my life looks like without you around, you brightened everyone's lives and had so much more left to give, but we'll all do our best to spread a little extra light into the world since it just became dimmer. We may not have been blood, but you were undoubtedly a sister to me, and I love you endlessly now and forever. Wherever you are, I hope they have re-runs of Jim Carey's Grinch and lots of puppies.

Love always,

JP & MacKenzie

I so wish I could take away the pain of this tragedy.  My heart goes out to my friend Clara and to her family.  With much love,

Lorena France