It is easy to forget that a person was far more than what is summed up in an obituary and a story is more than what becomes a headline.
Jess was loved by so many people and touched the lives of all who knew her.
I knew her only very briefly, though, in a way, I knew her very well through Jessica and Ange's stories and through their love for her.
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Mon, May 17, 2004
Troubled girl's tragic demise
Runaway teenager died in fire
By KATIE CHALMERS, STAFF REPORTER
Relatives of Jessica VanDenHeuvel say the 15-year-old was a typical teenager going through a rebellious stage. Her short life ended in tragedy last week when fire engulfed an abandoned, derelict home in Kenora where she was drinking alcohol with a friend.
"She was very kind-hearted. She had a big heart, very loving, very free spirited," said Jessica's aunt, Sarah VanDenHeuvel. "I'll miss everything about her. I just want to see her again."
Jessica had run away from home and planned on spending last Wednesday night at the vacant house near Beaver Brae Secondary School where she was a Grade 9 student.
"She was like any normal teenager," Sarah said. "She had skipped out of school that day with one of her girlfriends. I guess they got into some alcohol and they found that abandoned house just down from the school."
When Jessica's friend went home to get blankets to stay warm, her mother grounded her for skipping school, Sarah said.
But the teenage friend snuck out of a window and returned to the abandoned house, which was already on fire.
MOVED AROUND
The family doesn't yet know how the flames ignited but believe Jessica might have started a fire to stay warm and it accidentally spread.
"The police officer said it looked like she just curled up, fell asleep by the fire. She was still in a sleeping position when they found her," Sarah said.
Jessica had moved around a lot, staying with her divorced father in Thunder Bay, her mother in Kenora, another relative and an aunt. She ran away from Sarah's home the day before her death, disgruntled about a potential visit from a social worker, she said.
An aspiring model and a former figure skater, Jessica left behind a note when she ran away indicating she wanted to quit drinking and straighten up. The aunt is now warning other teens that accidents happen when booze is involved.
Sgt. Robert Simpson of Kenora Police Services said the cause of the blaze appears to be accidental but the investigation continues.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2004/05/17/pf-462517.html==
