Vigil held for three teenagers killed in UTV crash | Local news

A shaken and grieving community gathered at Stewardson-Strasburg High School Thursday evening to remember the three incoming freshmen who died when the all-terrain vehicle they were riding in collided with a grain truck.

One of the teenagers, 13-year-old Karly Wetherell, was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident occurred outside of Strasburg at around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

The other two girls in the SUV, 14-year-old Sienna Bostedo and 14-year-old Edie Wittenberg, were taken to Sarah Bush Lincoln. Wittenberg died there at 6:42 p.m. Wednesday. Bostedo died at 12:01 a.m. Central Time Thursday after being flown by helicopter to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.

Stewardson-Strasburg Superintendent Justin Deters began Wednesday’s vigil by expressing his deep appreciation for the “overwhelming support” of community members who filled the gymnasium.

“It’s obvious how much these three young ladies have touched the lives of others. It’s obvious how much they are loved, and it’s obvious how much their families are loved,” Deters said. “While we are in a time where no one can give the other what we all truly want, when time turns around, all we can do is give each other our love and support.”

Deters thought briefly about what happened after he and others in the community first learned of the accident.

“From about 6:30 p.m. (Wednesday) to the minute I just walked into this gym, we were answering phone calls with one hand and hanging up with the other hand,” he said. “I’ve received help from more people and organizations than I can count, whether it was grief counselors, food or just general support and words of compassion.”

The prayer portion of the vigil was led by the Reverend David Weaver, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Stewardson, and the Reverend Kene Whybrew, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and Grace Lutheran Church, both in Strasburg, both of whom are from churches the three girls attended with their families.

“On this day we remember Karly, Edie and Sienna for the grace you have shown them in Jesus Christ, for their adoption and rebirth and holy baptism and for all the good they have been able to give and receive,” Whybrew said.

Weaver and Whybrew recited several Bible verses and prayed for the three girls and their families.

“Grant them strength to await with firm faith and confident hope that blessed day of the consummation of our redemption, when all who trust in you will be gathered together in heavenly joy and glory,” Weaver said.

Craig Moffett, a former Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg softball coach and teacher, attended the vigil and said he had gotten to know Wetherell and Wittenberg in his history classes over the past three years. Moffett did not know Bostedo well, as she attended Trinity Lutheran School, but he said he had been told that, like Wittenberg and Wetherell, she was a natural leader among her classmates.

“They were funny. They were smart. They worked hard,” he said. “These girls were friends. They were good leaders, just good, positive leaders. It’s just a shame.”

Moffett said he not only enjoyed watching Wittenberg and Wetherell compete in track and basketball, Moffett, a graduate of Stewardson-Strasburg High School, also played basketball with Wetherell’s father when the two were younger.

“Edie was an incredible runner, and then she was a state champion in the 800-meter run and a very good basketball player. I loved her left hand in basketball. I mean, she could play,” he said. “Karly was a thrower in track and field and also a basketball player. She just always played hard.”

Moffett said the vigil was a very healing experience for everyone in the community, especially the young children who were trying to come to terms with this tragic and sudden loss.

“I am glad that the school and the pastors worked together to make this possible for the community,” he said.

Also present at Thursday’s vigil was Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg softball coach Lindsay Krumreich, who said she knows all three girls and described them as “super nice” and “always happy.”

“It’s always a great time,” she said. “They always had fun, no matter what they were doing. They always had a great time and always had a smile on their face.”

In addition, Krumreich said that she knew Wittenberg’s sister Ellie and that the two shared some of the same characteristics.

“She’s a lot like her sister, a little flighty, in a good way, if that makes sense,” she said.

Krumreich used to give Bostedo and Wittenberg softball pitching lessons, and she said she still has some of the “silly selfies” they took on their phones during class without her knowledge.

On the day of the vigil, grief counselors were brought in to speak with the students, and several emotional support dogs were also on hand to comfort those who mourn. The dogs were provided by Lutheran Church Charities, which also donated a wooden cross for each of the three girls.

Following the vigil, community members wrote their names on the three crosses and many stayed at the school to talk to other mourners and offer comfort to one another.

The Teutopolis volleyball team will host a memorial event to raise funds for the families of the three girls on Friday, July 19th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Teutopolis Banquet Hall. Food and beverages will be available at the event.