She just celebrated her 17th birthday Dec. 14. A lifelong resident of Halifax, Kayleigh DesRosiers’ family will place her to rest this week. Her young life was taken too soon, following a horrific triple fatal car crash in Easton on Friday December 30.
The Depot Street accident took the lives of her boyfriend Robert Fleming, 17, and the driver of the vehicle, his father, William Fleming, 58, both of Easton.
A junior at Silver Lake Regional High School, Kayleigh resided in a multi-generational home with her 6-year old sister, mother and grandparents.
Her grandma Joyce DesRosiers and her husband Damon are owners of The Hideaway restaurant in Middleboro. They are known by many who share their recent loss.
She spoke in a phone interview describing her granddaughter’s passions.
“She was a reserved young lady with a passion for photography. She danced for five years and was also a cheerleader for Silver Lake Youth for four years before high school.
A gratifying moment was seeing Kayleigh’s photography chosen for Youth Art Month displayed at Boston State Transportation Building last March,” Joyce told The Express.
Kayleigh loved taking selfies as all teens but was most comfortable behind the lens.
She took several digital photography classes offered at the high school and was enjoying her camera.
“She was reserved but once she got to know you- you were friends, no holds barred. She was brought up knowing that having a handful of friends in life that you can count on as real friends… well then, you have done well,” she said.
Her two best friends have been by her side since before kindergarten.
A lover of the outdoors she recently had an outing with her grandpa climbing Mount Chase in Maine.
“Believe it or not she did the climb in flip flops,” her grandmother savoring the typical teen behaviors.
“She knew she was loved. That is for sure. I always told her I loved her and she told me she loved me,” she said.
Recalling the night of the lunar eclipse last year, they helped her set up a basic telescope on a tripod and were thoroughly impressed as they watched her capture each stage.
“She got a couple really good shots, and in the series Kayleigh captured nearly the full eclipse.”
Perhaps the twinkling sky and those memories will now generate a sense of closeness especially as her younger sister tries to grasp the immense grief in the days to come.
DesRosiers said she is dealing with the emotions day to day and has spoken to the widow Deena Fleming, mother of Robert, as she prepares to bury her husband and son. Fleming was not in the car during the crash, which had been erroneously reported in earlier news broadcasts following the incident.
“His mother reached out to us on Saturday. The conversation was difficult- talking through emotions. We are sharing our sorrow together.”
Seeing her granddaughter happy and knowing Robert was a nice kid was important to DesRosiers.
“They seemed very nice and often driving 35 minutes each way. They were doing this for their son. We tried to take turns so they could see each other,” she said.
In a statement to the media Christine Pruitt, Assistant Superintendent of Silver Lake Regional High School, issued condolences and made parents aware of counseling services available to students following the tragic accident.
“Our thoughts go out to Kayleigh’s family and friends during this difficult time.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of a member of our Silver Lake community, Kayleigh DesRosiers. “
In response to this tragic event, the Silver Lake Regional High School was open on Saturday, December 31 and on Monday, January 2, for students to access counseling services. Counselors were also be available throughout the week.