Funny Video About Officers Moms Funeral

Family, friends reflect on lives of Waco area youths who died in crash last weekend

Jerry Larson, Tribune-Herald

Avery Bewley pats an eye with a tissue during a memorial service Wednesday at Midway High School to honor his daughter, Mackenzie Bewley, and three of her friends who died together in a car crash Saturday. With Mackenzie that night in the SUV were Evan Lovejoy and their friends Brouke Olvera and Lexi Olvera.

Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald

An SUV carrying four young people left the road and hit a tree last weekend along this curve on Farm-to-Market Road 56 near Laguna Park in Bosque County.

Riding in a Land Rover SUV down a two lane road near Laguna Park in Bosque County at 9 p.m., during a rain storm last weekend, were four friends. Mackenzie "Kenzie" Bewley, Midway High School class of 2022; Evan Lovejoy, Midway '21; Brouke Olvera, Midway '20; and Connally High School freshman Lexi Olvera, Brouke's first cousin, were in the SUV.

Kenzie was looking forward to her future as a nurse, her father said. She had found someone possibly to love in Lovejoy, certainly someone who brightened her life from her grieving the loss of her mother, eight months ago, Kenzie's teacher said. Lexi was quiet, but when she let someone in, she would really love them, her mother said. Brouke really brought joy to the small children she taught at a local day care, her mother said.

All those possibilities, hopes and dreams came to end May 21 when the driver of their SUV tried to pass another vehicle, at night, in the rain, in a no-passing zone, and lost control and their SUV hit a tree.

"After the impact, the Land Rover became fully engulfed in flames," said Sgt. Ryan Howard, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson. "All four occupants were pronounced dead at the scene."

Howard said the investigation remains ongoing and nothing else can be released at this time.

In memory

Family and friends of these four Waco area youths who died in a car crash last weekend remembered them during a vigil at Midway High School this week.

One of the speakers at the vigil was Kenzie's health science teacher, Stacy Reeves. A personal friend to Kenzie and her family, Reeves was also one of the radiological nurses who helped to treat Kenzie's mother's cancer until she died eight months ago.

"The only way this makes sense is that she's now with her mother again," Reeves said.

Kenzie

Midway ISD, provided

Bewley

Reeves said that while Kenzie struggled with grief during her mother's prolonged illness and following her death, she had also celebrated her achievements. Kenzie earned a Licensed Vocational Nurse certification as a junior and as a senior she completed the certification give EKGs, electrocardiograms, through the Greater Waco Advanced Health Care Academy, Reeves said.

She said Kenzie's goal was to become an oncology nurse and help treat cancer patients, because of her experience during her mother's illness.

Another of Kenzie's teachers, Cara Callaway, a health science instructor with Greater Waco Advanced Health Care Academy also spoke at the vigil. Callaway remembered how smart Kenzie was and how she could put into words what other students were thinking or feeling.

"She could bring up a tough subject and then the rest of the class would be able to talk about it," Callaway said. "And she was crazy smart. (Kenzie) could catch up on a week and half of missed work in three hours."

Kenzie's father, Avery Bewley, agreed with Reeves that Kenzie had struggled with grief and possibly depression following her mother's death, but he said that since Evan Lovejoy had come into her life, she had brightened in the past few weeks.

"I'm still living in a nightmare," he said Wednesday evening at the vigil.

Avery Bewley said he was personally overwhelmed and numb.

"She was excited to graduate, excited to start college and ready to begin to experience life," he said of his daughter.

He said he is thankful to Midway ISD for putting the vigil together.

"We lost four young people, and we want all the other families to know that we think of them and we pray for them," Avery Bewley said.

He is a volunteer firefighter, and he was one most of Kenzie's life. His friend Andy Bird from the fire house said he had known Kenzie since she was 5.

"She grew up around firetrucks and ambulances," Bird said. "She had a heart to care and a heart to give."

Kenzie's stepfather, Raymond Long, also attended the vigil. He said his own father had actually died less than two weeks before Kenzie. Long lost his wife, Kenzie's mother, eight months ago and more recently his father and Kenzie.

"Tell the ones you love, 'I love you' today," Long said. "You might not get tomorrow."

Long said one of his first memories of Kenzie was of her cutting a birthday cookie.

"It was a giant chocolate cookie, with no icing, because she didn't like icing," Long said.

Kenzie's best friend, Santiana Gayton, also spoke at the vigil. She said all were there to honor and remember the four who had died.

"We are here to remember four souls," Santiana said.

She said she had met Lovejoy, Brouke Olvera and Brouke's first cousin, Lexi Olvera, through Kenzie over the last several weeks and that she had really enjoyed the time she knew them.

Santiana said Lovejoy had welcomed her into his house and brought a feeling of safety with the welcome.

Evan

Midway ISD, provided

Lovejoy

"Lovejoy's family don't deal with grief the way all of these people here do," his friend, Dakota Lee, said after at the vigil, after the speakers, and the music, following the lighting of the candles.

According to a Midway ISD spokesperson, Evan Lovejoy's family members chose not to attend the vigil. Many of Lovejoy's closest friends did attend, including Dakota Lee, Dakota's brother Jessy Lee, Kirstey Ferguson and handful of others, including the young man they all pointed to as Lovejoy's best friend: Jonathan Taylor.

"Lovejoy was everyone's backbone," Taylor said. "He always made sure everyone was safe. He would never let anyone worry about him."

Dakota said Lovejoy was the safest driver in the group. Dakota also said the Lovejoy respected women.

Jessy and Dakota agreed with Taylor about Lovejoy being safe.

"Evan's mother used to tell him all the time, that he could breathe for himself," Jessy said. "He didn't have to breathe for everyone else, he could breathe for himself."

Ferguson mentioned Lovejoy's "Love head slap." The whole group chuckled when she brought that up.

Taylor mentioned a quote that Lovejoy often said. The group nodded and encouraged him to say it.

"Lovejoy used to say, 'Blood makes you related, but loyalty makes you family,'" Taylor said. He looked around the group, looking each one in the eyes: Dakota, Jessy, Ferguson and each of the others.

Ferguson called Lovejoy "the light of the family." She said, "We were his family." The others nodded.

Taylor echoed her.

"We were his family," Taylor gestured inclusively to the group of about ten friends.

Brouke

Midway ISD, provided

B. Olvera

Brouke Olvera's mother, Jennifer Powers, and loved ones also attended the vigil. Powers said her daughter was loved by many.

"She didn't know how many," Powers said while lifting a hand and gesturing to include the crowd at the vigil.

Powers said Brouke was her baby, and that Brouke loved everyone.

"The kind of person Brouke was … ," Powers teared up for a moment. She looked up toward the sky and straightened her back and then continued. "She would call me every night. Could be … 1 a.m., 2 a.m. 3 o'clock in the morning, she would call and ask me the stupidest question that she knew I would answer. And I would answer."

Powers paused to sniff and choke back tears.

"That's how we were with each other. And still expect her to call me," Powers said Wednesday, about four days after Brouke had died.

She said her daughter loved her friends, and her family. She said Brouke really enjoyed having everyone together.

Powers said Brouke had worked as a child care teacher with 2-year-olds. One of the mothers from Brouke's center sought her out.

"She said to me, 'You're Brouke's mother,'" Powers said.

That mother had one of the 2-year-olds at the center, and she told Powers how much Brouke had touched the heart of her son.

"After she would take him home, the boy would ask (his mother) for Brouke," Powers said the boy's mother had told her.

Powers said her daughter was wonderful and loved to be around the small children.

"That mother told me, her boy is still asking for Brouke," she said. "What can she tell him?"

Lexi

Connally ISD, provided

L. Olvera

Powers gathered herself and walked over to introduce her brother, Scott Olvera, Lexi's father, Brouke's uncle.

"He's the strong one," Powers said. "He's being strong for his family and for mine, too."

Scott Olvera said Brouke was like another daughter to him, along with Lexi.

"Lexi put others before herself," her father said. "She loved her family, and her friends."

Kenzie's friend Santiana said that the night she met Lexi, Lexi made Santiana text her when she got home safe. She said Lexi did the same for her. Santiana said she felt like she had found another friend who she really belonged with.

Her mother said Lexi was hardheaded. But if she let someone into her circle, she would love them.

"Lexi was funny and she could light up a room. But she hated attention," Scott Olvera said. "Her real friends are all here (at the vigil)."

mcleanwompeat.blogspot.com

Source: https://wacotrib.com/eedition/page-a1/page_c292e133-3d44-5a8c-bc76-c74f4ef76ff3.html

Share this post