Friends and family remember Alyssa
Shooting victim would have been 15 on Tuesday
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the Wednesday edition of the Sun Sentinel. We are republishing it in its entirety to better honor the memory and life of Alyssa Alhadeff.
A vivacious girl who loved going to the beach, Alyssa Alhadeff would have been 15 on Tuesday.
To honor her birthday, more than 100 friends and family members gathered to celebrate Alyssa, who was killed in the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The day began in North Lauderdale on a somber note as her family unveiled Alyssa’s headstone at Star of David Memorial Gardens. The group later congregated at Alyssa’s favorite place — the Deerfield Beach pier — for a beach party to celebrate and have fun as they remembered their fallen friend and family member.
Alyssa developed her love for the beach during the summer, when her family would travel to Long Beach Island, N.J. That love translated to Florida, and Alyssa would come to the beach whenever she could.
“This was Alyssa’s second home,” her mother, Lori Alhadeff, said. “She loved coming to Deerfield Beach. She would come here all the time with her friends and just walk around and play in the water.
I wanted to have a celebration of Alyssa’s life with her friends.”
“She would’ve wanted her friends having fun. She wanted them celebrating her birthday today. Alyssa wouldn’t want people crying and being upset about her. She’d want them laughing in the water like they are now.”
Just past a red tent with colorful balloons and an enlarged picture of Alyssa in soccer uniform, beachgoers flew white kites with personalized messages for her on a sunny, windy afternoon. Everyone had their memories of Alyssa, who was taken far too soon.
“[Alyssa] would always make us laugh,” said Laurie Thomas, who coached Alyssa in soccer the past three years. “Everything was funny to her. She brought our team together and she always brought humor if her teammates were down, and she could have a really good conversation and offer people advice.”
“[It’s about] remembering her and keeping her spirit alive because she means so much to us. She really is our angel. She’s been a huge inspiration for me, her teammates, the community and nationwide.”
At Star of David, Alyssa’s parents gave emotional speeches about their daughter as the group of mourners, clad in white shirts and blue jeans, reflected on her life. Alyssa’s younger brothers then unveiled her headstone, with the words “Forever in our hearts” inscribed across the top.
One-by-one, her family members, including her grandparents, seated next to the headstone, laid stones on top. Surrounding the headstone were dozens of roses, a blue Long Beach Island pillow, a US Soccer jersey with “Alhadeff ” sewn on the back and a portrait of Alyssa.
As Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” echoed around the memorial, Lori Alhadeff opened a small box, unfurling brown and yellow butterflies. With one remaining in the box, Lori dropped to one knee, carefully picking up the lone butterfly as it soon took flight from her fingertips and circled around the tombstone with the rest of the group.
“The day after Alyssa died, my husband and I went to see Alyssa,” Lori Alhadeff said. “At her grave, a big yellow butterfly flew by, and it gave us a symbol of hope that Alyssa was OK, and we had butterflies fly out of a box today, symbolizing that hope and strength that Alyssa is OK and she’s living, but in a different way.”
For Alyssa’s best friend, Abigail Price, May 1 is a bittersweet day. In addition to their tight-knit friendship, the two share the same birthday. Price, a Stoneman Douglas freshman, also turned 15 on Tuesday. The two would frequent the beach and celebrate every birthday the same way: getting their nails done, hanging out and having a party.
Although Alyssa wasn’t there, commemorating her life in her favorite place was a fitting tribute.
“[Having the party on the beach] brings back a lot of happy memories,” Price said. “It’s nice to celebrate it.”