Erica, nicknamed "Sunshine", was the beloved daughter of Darren and Shelly Forney. She passed away on Thanksgiving Day at the Children's Hospital in Denver, after being struck by an SUV (the driver was talking on a cell phone), while on her way home from school two days prior. She was a fourth-grader at Coyote Ridge Elementary School, and known for jokes, funny faces and huge smiles. Her family donated her organs, and four Colorado teens received Erica's final gift. She had hoped to sing a solo in her upcoming school program and pleaded with her parents to buy her a barn owl to keep as a pet - not a parakeet or a lovebird, but a barn owl. Excited about Christmas, Erica had nagged her father, in November, to put up their Christmas tree and decorations. Instead, she will spend her first Christmas in heaven with music and decorations more beautiful than one can imagine, according to a poem Daren's uncle read at the service. Besides loving to read and sing, Erica was an aspiring artist, her family recalled. Pictures and paintings created by her small hand decorated the foyer outside her service. Dozens of purple, blue and green balloons floated against the bright blue sky at the end of her memorial service. House Bill 1094 was passed just over a year after Erica's passing, banning cell phone use while driving in Colorado.
Bio provided by Mz Fish
Bio provided by Mz Fish
Erica, nicknamed "Sunshine", was the beloved daughter of Darren and Shelly Forney. She passed away on Thanksgiving Day at the Children's Hospital in Denver, after being struck by an SUV (the driver was talking on a cell phone), while on her way home from school two days prior. She was a fourth-grader at Coyote Ridge Elementary School, and known for jokes, funny faces and huge smiles. Her family donated her organs, and four Colorado teens received Erica's final gift. She had hoped to sing a solo in her upcoming school program and pleaded with her parents to buy her a barn owl to keep as a pet - not a parakeet or a lovebird, but a barn owl. Excited about Christmas, Erica had nagged her father, in November, to put up their Christmas tree and decorations. Instead, she will spend her first Christmas in heaven with music and decorations more beautiful than one can imagine, according to a poem Daren's uncle read at the service. Besides loving to read and sing, Erica was an aspiring artist, her family recalled. Pictures and paintings created by her small hand decorated the foyer outside her service. Dozens of purple, blue and green balloons floated against the bright blue sky at the end of her memorial service. House Bill 1094 was passed just over a year after Erica's passing, banning cell phone use while driving in Colorado.
Bio provided by Mz Fish
Bio provided by Mz Fish
