'She kept us strong': Gander teen killed in ATV crash remembered as cherished friend
Aurora Keats was killed in an ATV crash on Monday
The Town of Gander is mourning the death of a Grade 9 student who was killed in an ATV crash on Monday.
Kerry Wheaton, a gymnastics coach, says she'll remember Aurora Keats as an inspiration who was able to lift up everyone she met.
"She was definitely a force to be reckoned with. If you met her, you knew her from that point on. There was no forgetting her," Wheaton told CBC News Thursday.
"It's very rare to find someone that can be that inspirational to adults as well as children. To make that impact, we don't see it in every kid."
Keats was involved in a fatal side-by-side crash along the Newfoundland T'Railway on Monday. Police first reported the crash in a news release, saying the vehicle had left the trail on a stretch approximately 15 kilometres west of Gander.
Keats died at the scene.
Another youth was taken to the hospital in Gander for treatment.
Erin Vivian told CBC News her daughter, Cate, was among Aurora's best friends. The two teens won medals at a gymnastics competition earlier this month.
Vivian also helped Aurora on the softball field, and says she loved her like one of her own children.
"Like her name, Aurora, she was like the northern lights. Once you had the chance of experiencing being in her presence, you were never the same again," Vivian said.
"There's no memory that I have that doesn't involve her."
Hundreds of people are expected to gather for a memorial service on Saturday, including members from Aurora's gymnastics and volleyball teams who will walk by her side.
Both Wheaton and Vivian say they're not sure what life will be like without her.
"She wouldn't want us to be down and out," Wheaton said. "She kept us strong, and she will always keep us strong."
Vivian says she isn't sure how people will move forward.
"She was omnipresent. She was everywhere and she was in everything. She touched so many lives."
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With files from Troy Turner
