EDITORIAL:

Candace Tift will be missed. She will be missed most deeply by her family, including her husband, Wade, and her 15-month-old son, Owen. She will be missed by her friends. She will be missed by her fellow teachers at Eastbluff Elementary School and other workers at Eastbluff Elementary. And she will be missed by her students, who will be returning to a suddenly and sadly changed classroom in just more than a week.

Tift was riding her bike Wednesday evening along West Coast Highway, not far from her Costa Mesa home, when she was hit by a car driven by a woman who is suspected of being under the influence of prescription drugs. Tift died about 12 hours later but not before people who are going to miss her came to the hospital to say goodbye.

But in keeping with her life full of caring and giving — her being a teacher was a testament to that generosity — Tift’s death may have ensured the lives of three others. By Friday, three people had received Tift’s donated organs. While that final gift cannot take away the pain her family and friends are feeling, it hopefully can bring some solace during this unimaginable time.

That time, we know, will feel like it is lasting an eternity. We join the rest of the community in expressing our deepest condolences to all who knew Tift. Our greatest sympathies go out to her husband, who must be experiencing sadness that no one deserves. And our thoughts are with little Owen for all the reasons that so vividly, so terribly, come to mind.

We wish them as much peace as they can find.