Rainier community remembers ‘ray of sunshine’ Jessie Uch at Tuesday vigil
The community of Rainier showed up by the hundreds on Tuesday, gathering at the local high school to remember the life of Jessie Uch, a 17-year-old student and cheerleader who died in a Saturday car wreck.
Uch died at the scene of the Rainier Road crash on March 4. She was riding with an 18-year-old driver, who is suspected of driving under the influence. He was injured and taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Sheriff Derek Sanders, who also spoke at the vigil, said his department is still waiting for the man to be medically cleared for release. He is facing vehicular assault and vehicular homicide charges, department officials have said.
Tuesday’s vigil was organized by Mariah Frost, Uch’s cheer coach. She also acted as emcee and handed the microphone to anyone who wanted to share their thoughts about Uch, who often was referred to as a “ray of sunshine.”
“Not only was she a talented cheerleader, but she really got involved in school and the community,” Frost said. “She truly loved everyone and cared about everyone. The best way to describe her is ‘a ray of sunshine.’ She was very ambitious and very happy even when things weren’t going great. She was a very positive girl.”
It was an emotional gathering. Many burst into tears as soon as they saw a photo of Uch on a table that was surrounded by teddy bears and flowers. Others, such as family members and friends, could be seen embracing one another, and some, too, openly sobbed about their loss.
Her father Sopheak Uch also described her as a ray of sunshine.
“She never stopped smiling, never stopped dancing,” he told the audience. “I will miss you all my life and I’m sure everybody will miss you. Nobody can replace a soul like that.”
An emotional Thurston County Sheriff’s Deputy F.M. Frawley also addressed the crowd. He said afterwards that memories came flooding back about something similar that happened at his high school in El Paso, Texas, 40 years ago.
“It’s just hard,” he said. “It just makes it hard being a dad and granddad. I can’t imagine what he’s going through,” said Frawley about Uch’s father.
Rainier High School student Morgan Robinson stood and shared a story about how he met Jessie when they were both fourth graders.
There was a classroom quiz and the first person to answer correctly would win a Twizzler, a licorice candy, he told the audience. Jessie was the first to answer, but then she turned to him and shared half her prize.
“I saw in that moment she was compassionate,” he said. “All she did was give and barely asked for anything in return. She gave smiles and laughter. I’ll miss you, Jessie. Goodbye.”
This story was originally published March 8, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
