S. Tahoe to honor Byrne with candlelight vigil
A candlelight vigil to honor Alyssa Byrne will be Jan. 17 at 4:30pm.
The 19-year-old Petaluma woman died earlier this year after attending the SnowGlobe Music Festival.
People will be gathering at Lakeview Commons in South Lake Tahoe.
Good God. Honor? I mean “Honor”? This is a purely sad story. Alyssa is to be notably mourned. “MOURNED”! To honor is to reflect and recongnize one for some acheivement that is to be emulated. Held up as a positive example to strive for. Is getting wasted and losing your way in the snow and freezing to death what we want all our children to stive for? Get a grip folks. Is there no limit to being PC? Does every loser really need to be heralded as a winner? Sorry. Alyssa lost, and she lost badly. And her friends failed her, and her family failed her. And her entire story is of a tragic failure. Have your candelight vigil. Mourn sincerely, but don’t celebrate. Don’t honor. Please instead, try to teach your friends and family and children better, how to avoid one of the worst imaginable conclusions of life. RIP Alyssa.
I am glad to see the Town doing something
for this Girl
I’m sure that I will see all you bloggers their
Perhaps someone inappropriately used the word “honor” instead of “mourn”, but that is probably what was/is meant. It is harsh to say her family failed her, when a 19-year old makes independent decisions. We all wonder why her friends let her go off by herself? It is assumed she was intoxicated, but the autopsy results are not out — maybe she was drugged? The news (tweets, etc.) were/are very confusing. Also, the shuttle lines were too long and she was walking the shuttle route.
This is an opportunity to remind our young adults about risks, responsibility, accountability and consequences. Perhaps a grant will surface to create a safety message for all of these types of events. “Have fun – Be careful & responsible! – LIVE”
SLT is a caring community. I hope something positive comes out of this tragic event that will help prevent a recurrence.
A 19 year old, full of hope and possibilities celebrating the new year, heads in the wrong direction, doesn’t understand the dangers of the cold here in Tahoe. She wanders off alone. Her parents worry because she hasn’t communicated. She’s a good girl after all. The police ask if she could have run away. People speculate the worse. Days pass by and there is no word from her. Hundreds search. Hope begins to diminish. A body is found. Hope is completely gone. Alyssa Byrne is dead.
There is a country song that speaks about a lifetime of bad decisions. People whose lives are continually damaged by a series of poor decisions. Alyssa was only 19, that isn’t a lifetime. That’s just moments of a lifetime, hardly any time for any decisions about life.
This tragic event has impacted me deeply. As a parent, there could be nothing worse that the thousands of minutes, slowly passing, Alyssa’s parents waited for word of her. Friends, family, searching for days with no answer.
In my youth, this could have been me. I made a series decisions that could have had perilous repercussions. But I survived. I didn’t fall in a snow covered ditch and die alone. I was the lucky one. The one who was given another opportunity. The one who was allowed to make a lifetime of good decisions. I’m here yet I am sad. I mourn for this young girl, full of possibilities who could have been me. I weep for her and her family. The quote, “A peacefulness follows any decision, even the wrong one” seems rather poignant and I wish the Byrne family peace.
In response to “Doug” Take a long moment to imagine this tragedy as your own child. I don’t care how she passed, and quite frankly the cause of her death is still inconclusive. Under any influence or not, no one makes a CHOICE to have their life taken. And to be quite honest, being someone who isnt used to those cold temperatures, it is very uncommon to us to hear of death due to temperature. If you knew Alyssa, you would know nothing stopped her. Car, bus, no transportation, Alyssa would walk miles across town daily: to comfort a friend, do someone a favor, or just to clear her mind. Walking that night was no different to her, and MANY did walk that night as well! Alyssa was one of my best friends. As I did for her when she was physically with me and not just in my heart, I’d kill for her. This guy obviously never met Alyssa Byrne or he wouldn’t be saying these terrible things. Friends failed her? Family failed her? NO ONE FAILED ALYSSA. You obviously didn’t see the search parties. You obviously didnt see the news which was contacted by her friends in the first place. You obviously didn’t see the hundreds, thousands of her pictures on the web and around Petaluma when searching for her. You sure as hell weren’t at the candle light vigil which packed a whole high school and her memorial, which filled an auditorium. And those were just her closest friends/family in attendance. I’ll be damned if Alyssa’s passing is badmouthed. A bad influence on our children? Because of Alyssa I stopped experimenting with drugs as a teen. Because of Alyssa I no longer drink, which is not common for 19 year olds these day. Because of Alyssa I’m in my second year of college. Because of her I will be successful, much more successful than you punk ass. HONOR: as a talented athlete, coach for young girls, light in a time of dark and aspiring paramedic, Alyssa deserves more than honor. Unless youve lost a child, or a young friend, you have absolutely no clue what you are speaking on, youre making yourself and whole family look absolutely ignorant. I’ve kept my mouth shut to these ignorant outsiders long enough. ALYSSA BYRNE THE GREAT.
Thank you Chelsea!!!! I did not know Alyssa, her family, or her friends but your comments make me see a really wounderful person that will be missed by everyone she touched. HONOR HER!