Three blue-painted crosses soon will stand on the side of eastbound U.S. 54 in Holts Summit, symbolizing young lives lost over the weekend.
Seventeen-year-old Haley Bloebaum decorated the crosses Tuesday in remembrance of her two best friends - Elizabeth Moses, 17, and Miriah McDaniel, 17 - and McDaniel's cousin, Meggan Fowler, 13, all of Holts Summit, who died in a two-vehicle accident.
The Missouri Highway Patrol said the wreck occurred at 11:58 p.m. Saturday about one mile west of Center Street, when an eastbound 1997 Buick LeSabre driven by McDaniel was hit head-on in the passing lane by a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder, driven westbound in the eastbound lane by Kathryn Zavoral, 27, Jefferson City.
Authorities said they were attempting to stop Zavoral in connection with a careless and imprudent driving report at the time of the crash. All four were killed in the crash.
Now, Bloebaum and many other loved ones are coping with the loss of the girls.
Painting the crosses is a step in Bloebaum's grieving process, and each is decorated differently: Moses' cross with a sun because Bloebaum said she was "always smiling and bright;" McDaniel's with variations of the lunar cycle because of her fascination with the moon (her cat's name is Luna); and Fowler's with a cloud because she said "it felt fitting."
Bloebaum's mother, Julie Bloebaum, also is grieving the losses of the girls, who were often found at her home.
She said the 17-year-old girls were inseperable, which was evident on Saturday night. They had been apart for about 24 hours when they reunited around 11 p.m. at Amber's Car Lot.
McDaniel and Fowler were returning home from a mission trip in Booneville, Arkansas.
Moses and Bloebaum spent Saturday evening at the Jefferson City Jaycees Cole County Fair.
The cousins left Friday for the trip, one day after McDaniel and Bloebaum had celebrated Moses' 17th birthday at Fugitive Beach in Rolla.
When they parted ways Saturday night, McDaniel headed toward Holts Summit on U.S. 54 to drop off Moses and Fowler at their homes, while Bloebaum drove home on Missouri 94. Shortly after, the crash occured.
Bloebaum received the news of her friends' deaths around 6 a.m. Sunday, when Moses' brother called.
She said she rushed downstairs wailing, taking minutes to collect herself and tell her mother what she heard.
"It was heartbreaking," Bloebaum said. "It felt so unreal. I just broke."
Since then, Bloebaum said she's been scrolling through photos, remembering good times and shedding tears. The three 17-year-olds were looking forward to their senior year at Jefferson City High School and dreamed together about graduation day.
"Us three were talking about how we wanted to walk across the stage together and show every one that we made it as best friends," Bloebaum said. "At the end of the year, we were going to take that picture of us in our caps and gowns and keep that picture."
Describing her friends, Bloebaum said McDaniel was an "energetic" girl who was always "wanting to have fun," and Moses was an open person who was constantly laughing.
Both were performers, showcasing their talents on stage at a national competition called Teen Talent. Bloebaum said her friends placed first two years ago and second this year.
Although she didn't know Fowler as well, Bloebaum said Fowler was a sweet girl. She added that Fowler and McDaniel were closeknit cousins.
"Miriah (McDaniel) was the youngest in her family and thought of Meggan (Fowler) as a sister," Bloebaum said. "She looked over her and cared for her."
During their mission trip, the cousins assembled about 400 backpacks for children in the poverty-stricken town of Booneville, Arkansas, Life House Church Pastor Greg Smith said.
McDaniel, Fowler and Moses were active in the church's youth group, Smith added, and they lived by their faith.
"They had a passion about life," Smith said. "They concentrated on others - that defined who they were as people."
Ashley Craig, an employee at Generations Childcare in Holts Summit, worked with McDaniel and Fowler, who volunteered, preparing meals and caring for children, according to Fowler's obituary.
"She (Fowler) was hilarious," Craig said via Facebook message. "Always had some witty come back to make people laugh. I don't think I ever saw her upset."
McDaniel was a coffee drinker and enjoyed a cup of joe with her father, according to her obituary. Her love for the drink was something Craig remembered about the young girl as well.
"Miriah, she was my coffee buddy," Craig said. "We usually always made a pot of coffee when she came over to Next Generation (Summer Camp) and she always put way too much sugar in it. She was beautiful. All three were."
Craig said those mourning feel "really raw" and "cheated."
"The thing we need to remember is (that) they died in the image of God," she said. "They did God's work, (and) they were so pure. God needed them for a reason. We will see them again some day."
The New Bloomfield community will hold a candlelight vigil today at 8 p.m. in the school parking lot. The event is open to the public. T-shirts also will be sold to help the family with funeral expenses, and donations also are being accepted online at lifehousepcg.com.
Life House Church, 222 E. Center St. in Holts Summit, will hold a memorial service at 6:30 p.m. Thursday for anyone who wishes to remember the three teens.
Jefferson City High School will host a 7 p.m. Friday memorial service in Fleming Fieldhouse.
The visitation for Miriah McDaniel and Meggan Fowler will be Saturday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Solid Rock Family Church, 508 Hunter's Run Road, Jefferson City. The funeral service will follow the visitation.
Elizabeth Moses' visitation is scheduled for 2-6 p.m. Sunday at Houser-Millard Funeral Chapel, 2613 W. Main St.
Her funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Monday at First Presbyterian Church, 324 Madison St.
Services are still pending for Zavoral.