The Redding community came together last Friday to pay their respects to Suzie Smith, the flight nurse who tragically lost her life following a helicopter crash in Sacramento, with a service held at the Redding Civic Auditorium. The REACH medical helicopter, carrying Smith, had taken off from UC Davis Medical Center on October 6 before its fateful crash on Highway 50. Pilot Chad Millward and paramedic Margaret Davis were also onboard and sustained injuries, as per KCRA.
During her lifetime, Smith was a paragon of service, reportedly working tirelessly, including 30-hour shifts on the helicopter and volunteering at a vacation bible school, as her brother-in-law Kevin Luntey described in a statement obtained by CBS News Sacramento. Her dedication extended beyond domestic borders, contributing to mission trips in Nicaragua to aid children with cleft palates; she was a beacon of selflessness, who averaged about 100 emergency flights annually with REACH Medical and surpassed 3,000 career flights just last December.
The celebration of life saw numerous tributes to Smith's enduring spirit and communal impact, the service teeming with music, remembrances, and worship amidst a crowd that Smith had once cared for as much as she cared about. Friends and family shared accounts of her benevolent nature Smith who had a penchant for helping anyone she encountered, had her life's work molded by a steadfast devotion to aiding others.
Even in passing, Smith's legacy continued to inspire. As recounted by Beth Watt, a paramedic who worked alongside Smith, "She showed me how to do it right," whether it was in her professional capacity or within the roles of mother and wife, Watt expressed, citing Smith's example in every facet of her life during a tribute, according to a CBS News Sacramento interview. In a poignant sign of remembrance, a rainbow appeared above her house right after she passed away, and, in an echo of that moment, another rainbow arced in the sky over the gathering that Friday.
Amidst the grief, Smith's memory champions the call to service; her life challenges the living to ponder on their contributions to their communities. "Maybe that's not for everybody, but what can you do in your community? What can you do to be a better person?" Luntey implored in his remarks, as noted by CBS News Sacramento.
