58 STORIES OF LIFE, LOVE AND DEATH
Hannah Ahlers Murrieta
Ahlers, 35, enjoyed simple pleasures such as spending time outdoors with friends and family. “She was possibly one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, with a heart to match,” her friend Sunni Almond said.
Heather Alvarado
Cedar City, Utah
Alvarado, 35, was a mother of three who enjoyed vacations and time outdoors with her husband, a firefighter. “She spent her whole life serving others in her family and community,” said her husband, Albert Alvarado.
Dorene Anderson
Anchorage
Anderson, 49, was a hockey booster in Anchorage and a self-described “stay-athome wife and mother.” She had traveled to Las Vegas with her husband, John, and two daughters, who all survived the shooting.
Carrie Barnette
Riverside
Barnette, 34, loved her Disneyland job and time with her nieces and nephews, and honored her grandparents with a tattoo of their favorite bird — a hummingbird. “She was always generous and helping everybody in every way,” said her mother, Mavis Barnette.
Jack Beaton
Bakersfield
Beaton, 54, died on his 23rd wedding anniversary shielding his wife, Laurie, with his body. Earlier that day she posted: “Here’s to 23 wonderful years and looking forward to 23 more.”
Steve Berger
Shorewood, Minn.
Tall, handsome, gregarious — and a basketball standout in as a young man — Berger was a single father of three. He went to Las Vegas to celebrate his 44th birthday last Saturday, and was killed the following day.
Candace Bowers
Garden Grove
Candace Bowers, 40, overcame many challenges in her life, including as a young girl when her mother died. She raised two children as a single mother and adopted a relative’s 2-year-old child earlier this year.
Denise Burditus
Martinsburg, W.V.
Burditus, 50, died in her husband’s arms Sunday, not long after posting a photo on Facebook of the couple grinning big at the festival, with the Mandalay Bay hotel in the background.
Sandy Casey
Manhattan Beach
Casey, 34, was a special education teacher at Manhattan Beach Middle School for nine years. “She has made a tremendous difference in the lives of her students and their families,” the Manhattan Beach Unified School District said in a statement.
Andrea Castilla
Huntington Beach
Castilla’s boyfriend, Derek Miller, was planning to propose to the 28-year-old makeup artist the weekend of the Route 91 Harvest Festival. “I had waited for her my whole life,” he said.
Denise Cohen
Santa Barbara
Cohen, 58, was never without a smile. “Even when she was having a bad day she’d be trying to cheer everybody up,” said her sister, Kristal Vogel. Her boyfriend, Derrick “Bo” Taylor, also was killed at the concert.
Austin Davis
Riverside
A proud union man, Davis, 29, had just became a journeyman pipefitter. A Facebook friend celebrated his promotion: “Congratulations to you my good man!”
Thomas Day Jr. Riverside
A home builder, the 54-yearold Day had his four children — all in their 20s and 30s — with him at the concert. “He was the best dad. That’s why the kids were with him,” Day’s father said.
Christiana Duarte
Redondo Beach
Duarte, 22, had dreamed of following her family into sports — not on the field, but in the front office. Relatives have played pro baseball. She started her first full-time job in September as a fan services associate with the Los Angeles Kings.
Stacee Etcheber
Novato, Calif.
Etcheber, 50, was as likely to be seen cheering at her kids’ sports games as starting a fire on their school camping trips, or helping someone change the oil in their car. She attended the concert with her husband, San Francisco Police Officer Vinnie Etcheber.
Brian Fraser La Palma
Fraser, 39, had become ordained as a minister so he could officiate at his stepson’s wedding in July. A loan officer, Fraser leaves behind his wife, stepson and three young children.
Keri Galvan
Thousand Oaks
Galvan, 31, cherished her three young children. Her sister said her “days started and ended with doing everything in her power to be a wonderful mother.”
Dana Gardner
Grand Terrace
As deputy recorder-county clerk for San Bernardino County, Gardner, 52, was a consummate professional. Her boss Bob Dutton said: “If you needed advice or questions came up, she had the answer.”
Angela Gomez
Riverside
Friends of Gomez, 20, remember her for her love of the stage and her dedication to becoming a nurse. “Angie was a fun-loving, sweet young lady with a great sense of humor,” said her former cheer coach, Lupe Avila.
Charleston Hartfield
Las Vegas Off-duty at the time of the concert, Hartfield, 34, was an officer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department after serving in the Army during the U.S.led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Chris Hazencomb
Camarillo Colleagues and relatives described Hazencomb, 44, as a kind and selfless man, a friend and co-worker who loved talking sports. At 6-foot-5 he would help his aunt reach the top shelves in the grocery store. He died shielding a friend from bullets.
Jennifer Topaz Irvine
San Diego The 42-year-old was a hard-charging familylaw attorney who enjoyed yoga, snowboarding and taekwondo in her free time.
Teresa Nicol Kimura
Placentia Among a close-knit group of friends who dubbed themselves the “framily,” Kimura, 38, was known for her energy and radiance. “Route 91 was her favorite weekend of the year,” said friend Chad Elliott, who tried to shield her from the bullets.
Jessica Klymchuk
Valleyview, Alberta, Canada Klymchuk, 34, was a librarian and bus driver who was raising four children on her own. She was engaged to Brent Irla and died by his side.
Carly Kreibaum
Sutherland, Iowa Kreibaum, 33, lived in a small town with her husband and two children. She was “well-loved by everyone and a fabulous mother,” said Sutherland
City Clerk Natosha Petitt.
Rhonda LeRocque Tewksbury, Mass. LeRocque, 42, was a designer who was remembered by friends for her work as a Jehovah’s Witness and for helping rebuild homes in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina.
Victor Link
Aliso Viejo Music was part of Victor Link’s life ever since his days as a young boy in rural Shafter, Calif. The 55-yearold’s fiancee, Lynne Gonzalez, shared his love of music, and the couple regularly traveled to concerts.
Jordan McIldoon
Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada McIldoon’s parents remember the 23-year-old as a “self-described cowboy boot, tattoo-covered redneck who loved the outdoors.”
Kelsey Breanne Meadows
Taft, Calif. Meadows, 28, stayed close to home, growing up to become a substitute teacher at her alma mater, Taft Union High School. “She had a sweet spirit and a love for children,” Principal Mary Alice Finn said.
Calla Medig
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Medig, who was about to become manager of the restaurant where she worked, had attended the Route 91 Harvest Festival for three straight years. She and a friend decided to go again before she started her new position.
Sonny Melton
Big Sandy, Tenn. Melton, 29, was a nurse who shielded his wife, Heather, from the gunfire. “You know how when you meet someone and you just know that they’re good and kind? That was Sonny,” said Christy Davis, an assistant nursing professor at Union University.
Patricia Mestas
Corona Pati Mestas’ love of music, particularly country, led her to many concerts and festivals. Mestas, 67, had recently retired as deli manager at a convenience store.
Austin Meyer
Reno Meyer, 24, was in Las Vegas with his fiancee, who surprised him with tickets to the concert. A limo driver who had gone back to school, he hoped to open an auto repair shop after graduation.
Adrian Murf itt
Anchorage Murfitt, 35, was a commercial fisherman, an animal lover and bit of a goofball. “He made me laugh. He was like an Alaskan cowboy, but when he saw a dog he’d turn into a 10-year-old kid,” said his friend Brian MacKinnon, who survived the shooting.
Rachael Parker
Long Beach Parker, 33, was a records technician at the Manhattan Beach Police Department. A coworker remembered her as “always happy.”
Jennifer Parks
Lancaster Parks, 35, a kindergarten teacher, was the “the kind of teacher everybody wants their children to have,” said Westside Union School District Supt. Regina Rossall.
Carrie Parsons
Seattle Parsons, 31, grew up across Puget Sound on Bainbridge Island and had interests that varied from country music to culinary arts. A huge fan of singer Eric Church, she took a selfie near the stage as he played Sunday night.
Lisa Patterson
Lomita Patterson, 46, attended the concert with three friends. The last time her husband, Robert, heard from her was a text sent around 8 p.m. Sunday. It was a gif of a girl alone on a seesaw, with the message, “miss you.”
John Phippen
Santa Clarita
Phippen, 56, was dancing next to his son, Travis, at the show when he was hit in the lower back by a bullet. Travis, an emergency medical technician, carried his father to a car that took them to a hospital, where John died from his injuries.
Melissa Ramirez
Littlerock, Calif. Ramirez, 26, was an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan. In her memory, her work colleagues at AAA wore green ribbons — the team color. “I and everybody else will be Eagle fans today and, more importantly, a Melissa fan for life. God bless you and your family,” Christopher Sandoval wrote on social media.
Jordyn Rivera
La Verne Rivera, 21, was months into her fourth year as a healthcare management student at Cal State San Bernardino. “We will remember and treasure her for her warmth, optimism, energy, and kindness,” university President Tomás D. Morales wrote to the campus community.
Quinton Robbins
Henderson, Nev. Robbins, 20, loved playing sports and teaching them to others. He ran recreational adult sports leagues for his hometown and volunteered coaching kids, including his younger brother’s flag football team.
Cameron Robinson
St. George, Utah Robinson, 28, was known for being spontaneous, smart and the life of any space he entered. He would call and say, “We’re going hiking in the mountains,” said friend and boss Brad Jerbic. And they would.
Rocio Guillen Rocha Eastvale
With two teenagers, a 1½year-old and a baby boy born seven weeks ago — Rocha, 40, would have wanted to be remembered as a supermom. “She did whatever she could not to miss out on her children’s lives,” said friend Shannon Dahl.
Tara Roe
Okotoks, Alberta, Canada Roe, 34, was vacationing with her husband in Las Vegas. She was the mother of two sons and worked as a school assistant and a model.
Lisa Romero
Gallup, N.M. Romero, 48, worked as a secretary for GallupMcKinley County Schools. Students remember her as a loving woman who went out of her way to give them advice.
Christopher Roybal
Denver Roybal, 28, enlisted in the Navy in 2007 and served five years. During that time he earned a Combat Action Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He was at the festival with his mother, Debbie Allen.
Brett Schwanbeck
Bullhead City, Ariz. Schwanbeck, 61, was an avid outdoorsman, remembered by family as the reliable one, whether he was helping a niece fix a taillight or warning the new boyfriend of a great-niece to treat her well. He attended at the concert with his fiancee, Anna Corozco, who survived.
Bailey Schweitzer
Bakersfield Schweitzer, 20, had only been working seven months as a receptionist at Infinity Communications and Consulting but made a lasting impression. “No one could possibly have a bad day when Bailey was around.” said Chief Executive Fred Brakeman.
Laura Shipp
Las Vegas Shipp, 50, was a single mother who had raised her son, Corey, alone. “It was just the two of them,” said her brother, Steve Shipp. “He looked out for her and she looked out for him.” They had been hoping to buy a house.
Erick Silva
Las Vegas Silva, 22, was the type of guy who bought hamburgers for elderly people who found themselves homeless and without supper last Christmas. A security guard at the concert, he lifted concertgoers over a barricade and to safety before he was killed.
Susan Smith
Simi Valley Smith, 53, with crystal blue eyes and a broad smile, was the first face a parent or student would see when walking into Vista Fundamental Elementary School. “She was the hub of the school .... Everyone who came through those doors, she knew,” said Jake Finch, a school district spokeswoman.
Brennan Stewart
Las Vegas
The chiseled 30-year-old
Stewart had posted a video online of himself playing guitar and singing “You Should Be Here” by Cole Swindell. The song is about loss, with haunting lyrics. More than 200,000 people have shared the video.
Derrick “Bo” Taylor
Oxnard Taylor’s career as a corrections officer spanned 29 years. “There are no words to express the feeling of loss and sadness regarding Bo’s passing,” wrote Warden Joel Martinez. Taylor’s girlfriend, Denise Cohen, also was killed at the concert. Neysa Tonks
Las Vegas Known to a niece as “Aunt Ne-Ne,” the 46-year-old Tonks had shared dozens of photos of her three sons on Facebook, showing them sledding down snowy hills, beaming at Boy Scout ceremonies, and — years later, and feet taller — standing with their mother at the beach.
Michelle Vo
Los Angeles The 32-year-old Vo’s day job as an insurance agent belied her sparkling and adventurous personality. “She spread joy and laughter everywhere she went .... She loved people. She loved sports and will try anything,” sister Diane Vo Hawkins said.
Kurt Von Tillow
Cameron Park, Calif. His friends said that whenever Von Tillow, 55, laughed, it brought smiles to the faces of people around him. “I will always remember him for his big belly laughs and smiles and tremendous friendship,” Mark Baca said on Facebook. “Everyone was his friend.”
Bill Wolfe Jr.
Shippensburg, Pa. Wolfe, 42, was a father of two who coached Little League baseball and youth wrestling. “The world has lost another good man, good father and husband,” said his friend Wanda Neil Davenport.
Times staff writers Esmeralda Bermudez, Cindy Carcamo, Thomas Curwen, W.J. Hennigan, Laura J. Nelson, Benjamin Oreskes and Ben Poston contributed to this report.