In Momence, Illinois, a 14-year-old girl named Amari Crite sadly passed away during a junior varsity basketball game on a Thursday. She was a 9th grader at Momence High School. Amari suddenly fell down while playing and later, at the hospital, she was declared to have passed away. The exact reason why this happened is still being looked into.
Amari was known by her loved ones as a happy and kind-hearted girl. Her family and friends are missing her deeply. They called her their “precious baby girl” and remembered her for her bright spirit and laughter.
Amari’s mom, Michelle, shared a touching photo of Amari, calling her “My Baby.” Her dad, Anthony, also posted pictures and videos of her, showing how special she was. In one video, Amari is making funny faces and says “Olla” with a smile.
Her dad shared another story about how Amari was chosen by a boy to be his valentine because she was the prettiest girl on the volleyball team.
A friend of Amari’s, named Mary Williams, talked about how Amari showed her an important lesson. At a summer camp, when the bell rang, Amari was always quick to line up. One day, when other campers didn’t line up and kept playing, Amari, who was usually quiet, spoke up loudly. She told everyone to “Just obey already! It’s not that hard!” Mary remembered this and said Amari’s words remind her to make good choices.
The school and people in the town felt very sad about losing Amari. Shannon Anderson, who is in charge of the schools in Momence, shared a message. He said the school was very sad and was thinking of Amari’s family and friends. The school also made sure there were counselors to help students and others who were feeling sad.
The local police, the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office, also showed their support and said they were praying for everyone who knew Amari.
To help with the costs of saying goodbye to Amari, her family set up a GoFundMe page. They wanted to make sure Amari had a beautiful farewell. The page got a lot of support, and by Monday, it had raised over $47,000. Michelle, Amari’s mom, thanked everyone and asked for help in giving Amari a loving goodbye.
