Remembering Yvette

Greg Risling

More than 400 people paid a lyrical tribute at a memorial service

Thursday for 10-year-old Yvette Riley, who was killed in a weekend auto

accident.

A chorus of Christian hymns echoed through Calvary Chapel as children and

their parents packed the wooden pews. They came to pay their respects for

young Yvette, who lived in Corona del Mar and was fatally injured when

her father’s roadster flipped over Saturday in Newport Beach.

Most of those who attended knew the girl with the glowing smile and a

giving spirit. Even some strangers, who read about the tragic accident,

sat quietly in the back rows and prayed for her.

“I was so touched by the service,” said Miriam Snyder of Costa Mesa. “She

seemed like such a tremendous girl who affected many people. It’s so

sad.”

The two-hour memorial was filled with fond memories, reflections and

song. The service reached a crescendo when Christian singer Crystal

Lewis, who was Yvette’s carpool chaperon, brought some of the girl’s

classmates to join her in a yet-to-be-released track from a forthcoming

album.

“This would have been the song she would have done for the [school’s]

talent show,” Lewis said. “Yvette was such a performer.”

Her parents, David and Yvonne Riley, sat in the front row with their

other daughter, Belle, and shared laughter and tears.

Saturday, David Riley was driving his 1932 Ford Coupe convertible when

the gear shifter jammed and he lost control of the car. The car crashed

into a median and flipped over. Riley survived but Yvette was rushed to

the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Many people in the audience fought back tears as friends recalled

Yvette’s life and a video montage of vacation pictures, birthday parties

and family gatherings was shown.

Programs handed out were lined with a leopard print, one of Yvette’s

favorite designs.

“She told me when she got to heaven, she wanted to ride a leopard,” said

family friend and pastor Greg Laurie. “We didn’t lose Yvette today

because we know where she is. You only lose some things when you can’t

find them.”

Eight-year-old Billy Wagner knew Yvette from the Calvary grade school and

said she was deeply religious and caring toward other people.

“She was kind to me and always seemed to have a smile,” he said. “There

are a lot of kids who were her friends and we will miss her a lot.”

Principal Dave Rolph said all of Yvette’s teachers wrote two positive

attributes in their reviews of the bright, outgoing student: she was a

leader and supportive.

In a touching moment, Rolph gave Yvette’s parents a high school diploma a

little ahead of schedule. He said the gesture was more than fitting for

the moment.

“Here’s her diploma,” he said. “God wanted her to graduate today.”