Mia Garcia and Madison Elliott, both 11, said they weren’t expecting to speak as a mural honoring their close friend was unveiled at Bulverde Creek Elementary School. Yet they stood before their North East Independent School District community and tearfully shared their love for Madelyn “Emmy” Jeffrey at a ceremony on Monday.
Madelyn, who was known by family as “Emmy” and by friends as “Maddy,” died in last year’s devastating July 4 Kerr County flood alongside her grandparents, Emlyn and Penelope “Penny” Jeffrey, both 70. The family was spending the night at a cabin along the Guadalupe River when the water began to rapidly rise. The flood claimed the lives of 139 people.
“As we mourn the death of our beloved friend Maddy and as someone who believes in Christ, I know that while she’s no longer with us in person, she’s living her best life, where she will no longer have to feel any sort of pain,” Mia said during the memorial ceremony. “So, while we can be sad, this was a moment to celebrate and come together to remember the life of our best friend, Maddy.”
Bulverde Creek opened the school year with a memorial to Madelyn and closed it with a memorial on the 10-month anniversary of the elementary school student’s death. As a group of about 150 people gathered behind Bulverde Creek, the school unveiled a soccer-themed mural created in Madelyn’s memory…