Those closest to Grace Rett are speaking out about their lost loved one.
The family of the Holy Cross women’s rowing team member who was killed in a van accident Wednesday said in a statement they’re devastated by her death. Rett was seated in the passenger’s seat of a van carrying Holy Cross women’s rowing team members when it collided with a truck Wednesday morning in Vero Beach, Fla., killing her and injuring 12 others. The accident took place one day after Rett’s 20th birthday roughly one mile away from the water where the team was headed for its winter workout.
“Words cannot express how utterly heartbroken we are at the loss of our beloved Grace,” Rett’s family said in a statement, per The Boston Globe. “A warm-hearted, kind, and gifted young woman, Grace lived every second of every day with a contagiously positive spirit that enriched the lives of everyone around her.”
Rett’s high-school friend and teammate Ciara Wells also remembers her as someone who impacted others positively.
“She always pushed me to do my best,” Wells told The Boston Globe in an email. “Rowing was her life, she was always so dedicated to it and so hardworking, taking ‘student-athlete’ to its fullest potential.”
Holy Cross postponed its men’s basketball game against Army in the aftermath of the tragedy. The school will hold a memorial service for Rett when it’s back in session following its winter break.
Although the Holy Cross community will attempt to heal from the tragic crash, Rett’s family and friends undoubtedly will miss her forever.
