Students turn accident site into memorial for classmate killed in crash
In sidewalk-chalk prose at Lake Stevens High School and in photographs left at the Edmonds site of her weekend death, classmates and friends yesterday memorialized 16-year-old Georgia Pemberton's beautiful trademark.
"Georgia — I will always remember your smile. I never once saw you frown, and that will help me and others go on," wrote one friend on a banner outside the high school. "Thank you for being such an amazing person."
Pemberton and her date, Ben Dillon, had just left their high-school prom in Edmonds on Saturday night when a Ford Explorer driven by a Bellevue man crossed the center divider on Highway 104 and struck their car head-on, police said.
Dillon, a 17-year-old Lake Stevens senior, and the other driver, 33, who has not been identified by police, survived the 11:30 p.m. crash with minor injuries. Pemberton, who was wearing a seat belt, died at the scene.
Police yesterday said they were continuing their investigation. They said there were no obvious signs that alcohol was involved.
Edmonds police blocked off one lane of the busy four-lane highway for an hour midday yesterday to allow about 100 friends to gather at the accident site, just east of Highway 99. They planted pansies around an angel statuette, erected several crosses and left scores of bouquets intertwined with photos, candles, helium balloons and glittery memory T-shirts.
"It was the most moving thing I've ever seen," said her mother, Katie Pemberton, who arrived after the crowd left. "You can't tell me this world is a bad place if our kids have this much respect."
Georgia Pemberton transferred to Lake Stevens High from Everett's Jackson High in February 2001, when her family built a home in the Lake Stevens area.
She also had friends in Snohomish, where she attended elementary school, and was a member of an Everett-based competitive cheerleading squad, the Pacific Storm.
Her mother found a small, framed photo of the Pacific Storm team at the Edmonds memorial site, and plucked it from the pile of flowers.
"I don't have this photo, so I'm going to cherish it," she said, breaking into tears. The teenager will be buried in her cheerleading uniform, she added.
Pemberton was a leader in her high school's DECA association, a group of about 120 students in the school's marketing program. Last fall she managed the high-school's clothing store, and this semester she was accountant for the student food store.
She worked hard on a recent prom fashion show, and next year she planned to be DECA president, said marketing teacher Karen Morton.
"She's a real people person — outgoing, always a smile on her face, never had a bad day. I don't know anybody who didn't like her," Morton said.
Pemberton planned to join the Air Force after graduation and then go to law school, her mother said.
She knew Dillon through DECA, her mother said. The two weren't dating, she said, but worked together at the school store.
"He loved her, but he never had a chance to tell her," said Katie Pemberton, who has spent tearful moments with Dillon since the accident.
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"They were in too much pain to move. They were in mourning — crying and hugging each other," she said.
Then they got busy devising ways to honor their classmate, covering the entry area with chalk remembrances and filling large banners with their thoughts. Some students received permission to leave and caught rides to the accident scene.
As the morning passed, bouquets of flowers, candles and other items were added to the school memorial.
Pemberton is the third Lake Stevens High student to die this year, Hulten said.
Jolene Desrosier, a senior, was murdered Sept. 28 in her Everett apartment. Her sister's ex-boyfriend, Robert Dale Woods, has been charged in her slaying and is awaiting trial.
Several weeks ago senior Jerik Haugen died in his sleep. He was a developmentally disabled student who had suffered brain damage during a childhood seizure.
Although 14 district counselors mingled with students yesterday, the youths mostly relied upon one another for comfort, Hulten said. "They did a lot to help each other get through the day."
Diane Brooks can be reached at 206-464-2567 or dbrooks@seattletimes.com.