On July 12, 2010, a shining star was extinguished. On that day, we lost Keri Anne O’Donnell, a fiery 15-year-old redhead, in a horrible traffic accident.
Keri was a bit of a firecracker. She loved performing. Acting, singing but most especially dancing. In her last season with her dance studio, she had started teaching younger kids, something she absolutely adored.
She loved belting out Broadway tunes – she was a huge fan of WICKED and planned to play Elphaba one day. She was so excited to join the Greeter corps at the Providence Performing Arts Center at the end of the 2009/2010 season. She was proud to call herself a ginger.
On the morning of her accident, Keri got up early. Six o’clock – pretty early for a summer day. She said she had to take a shower. She was going to the beach with her big sister, so we couldn’t imagine why she needed to take a shower.
She told us she’d opened her new coloring book in her bed the night before, and some of the glitter from its pages had spilled out. When she woke up, the glitter was all over her and she wanted to wash it off.
She could have scrubbed all day, all week, all year, and never washed the glitter off. Because Keri’s life was filled with glitter. One of the things people remember most about Keri is her smile. How could you miss it! Her smile lit up rooms, and studios, and auditoriums.
She worked so hard at dancing. She spent an entire season getting her back handspring right. Once she learned the steps, she had them down. Kids in her classes and shows would say they used to watch Keri to make sure they were doing it right.
Shortly after the accident, someone compared Keri to a comet. Every night, when you look up into the heavens, you see all sorts of lights. Some bright, some not so much. But every once in a while, there is a very bright star. It moves quickly. It’s bright, shiny and spectacular. It demands your attention. And then it’s gone.
When Keri was among us, we knew it. Her dance teacher called it Keri’s “take charge I have entered the building” self.
Since Keri left us, we’ve been finding single bits of glitter in random places. Shirt sleeves, blouse fronts, someone’s neck. And every little sparkle makes us smile. Because that’s our Keri.Look for the glitter. It’s everywhere. And there’s plenty to be found.
