The heart of Arlington, Texas, grows a little colder this Christmas, mourning the tragic loss of a joyous soul whose life was cut short in a harrowing accident merely days before the holiday. Liyah-Grace Holsey, a tenacious and caring 10-year-old girl, was fatally struck by two vehicles while making her way home from school, in an intersection close to Mary Moore Elementary, where she was a cherished fifth-grader.
According to Arlington police, the dreadful accident happened around 4 p.m. on Dec. 14, when the youngster was attempting to cross Park Springs Drive and Sublett Road. Despite attempts to save her, Liyah-Grace succumbed to her injuries and died later that evening at a local hospital. Sublett Road, where the girl was trying to traverse from the north to the south side when hit, is about a half-mile from her school, as reported by NBC DFW.
In a household now veiled with grief, Sherre Barnes, Liyah-Grace's grandmother with whom she lived, recounts her granddaughter's generosity and warmth. She recounts, "She was always wanting to kiss me, and I miss it, I miss it." Her school communities remember her as a beacon of joy, never missing a choir practice and dreaming of one day gracing the stage as a singer, as per WFAA.
Around the neighborhood and within the halls of Mary Moore Elementary School, the cherished memory of Liyah-Grace stands against the harsh reality of the first Christmas without her. "Everybody Gracie touched she left an impression on them, and it was of graceful love," her grandmother said. The spirit of a little girl who, even in the face of bullying, never ceased to protect and give, lies heavy in the hearts of those mourning her - with the intersection where she was hit by the two drivers with a green light, serves as a somber reminder of the life dynamic and full of promise that's been lost, according to WFAA.
