`Beautiful Girls' Are Remembered

AUBURN - Laura Rhoades cradled her daughters' favorite dolls. One of them was brunette, like her oldest child, Jennifer; the other blond, like her baby, Jessica.

All day yesterday she and her husband, Patrick, had been calmly accepting the condolences, prayers and shared memories from family members and church friends.

For a second, though, Rhoades' calm slips as she strokes the dolls' hair, and her voice breaks.

"They're something tangible to hold on to," she said.

Jennifer and Jessica Rhoades were killed Friday night in a car accident near Enumclaw. The family was on its way to a Young Life retreat at Buck Creek near Crystal Mountain when, according to the State Patrol, an oncoming pickup crossed the center line and slammed into their van.

The driver of the pickup, Mark Melby, 55, of Steilacoom, Pierce County, was not injured, and Patrol Sgt. Kirk Merrill said he did not appear intoxicated. Melby was booked into the county jail on investigation of vehicular homicide and released Saturday on $15,000 bail.

Jennifer, 7, who had apparently taken her seat belt off, suffered head injuries and died at the scene. Jessica, 3, who was strapped in a car seat, also suffered head injuries. She was pronounced dead after being flown to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma, hospital officials said.

Patrick and Laura Rhoades and their 5-year-old son, Jacob, were not hurt.

On their way to the retreat, Patrick Rhoades said the family recalled a fatal accident in the area and were talking about the importance of wearing seat belts when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle suddenly flashed before them.

The van and pickup collided, and the van was pushed to the side of the road. Rhoades said he had to climb out through his window.

"Jessica was in her car seat with her head thrown forward, and I thought she was all right, but I could tell that Jennifer was hurt," he said. "I just kept saying, `Lord, she's your child. Lord, she's your child.' "

Later, after officers arrived on the scene, one of them told Laura Rhoades to take Jacob into the patrol car because there was nothing more she could do to help the girls.

"It is the worst experience a parent could have, and we are in pain," Patrick Rhoades said. "But God is good, and these kids were a blessing."

Pictures of the family are spread over the living-room rug - from a church pageant at Wabash Presbyterian to a recent two-week trip to Mexico.

"They're beautiful kids, beautiful. We were so blessed to have that time together," Patrick Rhoades said. "They were my dream family."

The Rhoades' rural Auburn home has had a constant stream of visitors since they returned Saturday. Many come with gifts of flowers and food. Often, they don't know what to say in the face of such enormous loss.

"The best thing to do when someone is in pain is to just be there for them. That's one thing I've learned from this," Patrick Rhoades said. "I love talking about my beautiful girls, and I always will. If I ever stop, I hope somebody slaps me."

He passed the photos around and smiled, remembering how jolly Jessica was, how she laughed all the time, with her eyes crinkled up at the corners and her cheeks all rosy. He remembered her distinctive taste in clothing.

"That's her in the weird outfit," he said.

They talked about strong-willed and sensitive Jennifer. She had a flair for art and for making others feel good about themselves. Her second-grade teacher at Chinook Elementary nominated her for a kindness award because she always took the time to make other children feel included.

"She was very nurturing and she took care of her little brother and sister," her mother said.

As Laura Rhoades walked through the big upstairs room that all three children shared, she told stories of her children.

"I thought it would be hard to come in here, but I like it. There are so many wonderful memories in here," she said.

She recalled family wrestling matches, picnics the kids would take in the far corners of the back yard, and fights over favorite toys.

The family is calm because their Christian faith sustains them, they said. They believe their daughters died in accordance with God's will and that they are living now in a heavenly kingdom.

"We have pain, but we also have peace," Patrick Rhoades said.

"I know it will be different when there's no school bus at 9:30 and no lunch to pack in the morning, and when I'm all alone when Jacob goes off to school in the afternoon," Laura Rhoades said.

"And I pray for Jacob. They were each others' playmates. Yesterday he asked me, `Mommy, who am I going to play with?' and that broke my heart."

Christine Clarridge's phone message number is 206-464-8983. Her e-mail address is cclarridge@seattletimes.com