GREENFIELD TWP.
Hundreds of candles burned for Leah Loomis on Thursday as dusk faded to darkness on the beach of Newton Lake, where the beloved Lakeland senior drowned two days earlier.
At least 500 people gathered at a candlelight vigil for the 17-year-old Carbondale Twp. resident whom friends, loved ones and the school community remembered for her effervescent and goofy personality, her perpetual smile and her kindness to others.
“One of the things that we remember about Leah is that she always stood up for herself, and she always stood up for others,” Lakeland Jr./Sr. High School Principal James Pivirotto said. “That’s what I’ve been hearing for the last few days. She was that kid that when (no one else) was there to step up for someone, she was. And her friends are going to remember her for that.”
Haley Bednash, who described Leah as the “little sister I never had,” also talked about how much Leah cared for others.
“She just accepted everyone for who they were,” said Bednash, considers Leah’s older brother Derek one of her best friends. “She loved her family, loved her friends. She was the life of the party.”
During the vigil, Leah’s closest friends gathered on the beach, shed tears, embraced one another and shared stories about Leah.
Bednash remembered helping Leah come up with a dance to make her case to become captain of the basketball cheerleading team, then getting a phone call from her friend screaming in excitement when she succeeded.
Other members of the school community also reflected on Leah, including Nicole Barry, who coached Leah on the cheerleading team since last basketball season.
Leah’s personality shined in so many ways, Barry said. Leah was set to be a cheer captain during the upcoming basketball season and greatly looked forward to taking on a leadership role.
“She always knew how to bring a smile to someone’s face or lighten the mood when things got tough,” Barry said. “One thing Leah was always good at was encouraging the new girls on the team. She seemed to always have the right words to say and was the first one to jump in to help.”
The tight-knit team is like family after spending so much time together between practices, camps and games, Barry said.
“What happened is devastating and words cannot explain how much she will be missed, but she will always be with us, cheering right along with us,” Barry said.
John Swarts was in her classroom once or twice a week as a reading specialist when Leah was in fifth and sixth grades and remembered her as “spunky.”
“We lost a great kid — one of our best,” he said. “We’re such a small school. There isn’t a person here who isn’t impacted ... To lose a young person like that, to just be snatched away, there are just no words.”
Leah wanted to go to Bloomsburg University after graduation, but didn’t yet decide on her major.
Josh Dilts, a volunteer with the American Red Cross and a friend of the Loomis family, said loved ones are forming a nonprofit called Leah’s Legacy.
The organization, which he said is accessible on Facebook, is raising money to place a permanent lighthouse memorial to Leah on the beach, support fire, rescue and dive teams that recovered her body, defray funeral costs and pay for boating safety education courses every summer.
Staff writer Clayton Over contributed to this report.
Contact the writer: kwind@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5181; @kwindTT on Twitter
