Hundreds Turn Out For VigilMENTONE – There will never be another No. 14 at Mentone Youth League.
In memory of Alivia Stahl, 9, one of three siblings who died Tuesday morning, her jersey number was retired.
A vigil at the softball fields Friday night remembered Tippecanoe Valley students Xzavier and Mason Ingle, both 6, and their sister, Alivia Stahl, 9, who were killed when they were hit by a pickup as they were getting on the school bus Tuesday morning at a mobile home park in Fulton County.
A fourth student hit by the truck, Maverik Lowe, 11, was flown to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne with multiple broken bones and internal injuries.
Alivia’s softball coach, Dan Thompson, said softball was “very important" to Alivia. He recalled how when she first came out to play she wasn’t super strong, but she loved it and would always smile.
“The first couple of games was hard for her," he said. "She would just love it” despite it being a little difficult.
But several games in, everything began to change.
The team was playing its toughest competitor and was down four or five runs. Alivia came up to bat and smashed a triple right down the line.
“It was just an amazing moment,” he said, not just because she hit a triple, but because she had the same smile as she did when she struck out.
“It kind of gets you. She was just all smiles. She loved her teammates. She loved her coaches. And that’s something that has nothing to do with me or the coaching staff, that’s the parents, the family, that’s the kind of kid she was,” he said.
Mentone United Methodist Church Pastor Jason Rice told the several hundred people at the vigil, “We come together tonight in grief. We come together tonight as we struggle with the loss of three innocent children. We come tonight to the same place: a place where you can cry, a place where you can show love to each other, a place where you can experience God’s grace, peace and healing.”
He said there wasn’t a magic pill or a secret word to take away the pain, but through God’s grace “we can experience love and we can experience peace. Peace is knowing God is with us and God will never leave us, even in our darkest time.
"God never promised we would never experience sorrow, but He did promise he would always be there with us.”
Rice said ultimate healing comes through one’s relationship with God. He led the vigil in prayer, and as he concluded hundreds joined him in reciting the Lord’s Prayer.
Michael Stahl, Alivia’s father, said she loved being at the softball field. “She loved being here. She loved Coach Dan. And she was excited for every game, she was ready to go.
"She was the type of girl that hated to see anybody struggling. She hated to see anyone else sad. She would comfort you,” he said.
He recalled one of Alivia’s teachers who struggled with severe pain. He said he learned at parent-teacher conferences that Alivia would come to school every day and make it a priority to check on her teacher.
“She would ask her, ‘Are you feeling OK today? Is there something I can do for you? Can I?help you?’ She would just give her a hug. That was just the kind of heart my daughter had,” he said.
“My daughter brought so much light in our lives and so much light in everybody else’s lives, and to see the impact that, not just my daughter but her brothers, Mason and Xzavier, to see all of you here, the impact that our children have had on you ... to see a community, not only in our own but in our state and in our country come together for this, it’s just mind-blowing for all of us. It’s just unbelievable that our three babies, our three angels could make that much of an impact.”
He said the three children are marked in everyone’s hearts.
“We feel your guys’ love, we feel your guys’ prayers and your thoughts, and it means the world to us. ... We hear you. We hear all of you, whether it’s here in Indiana or across the country,” Michael said.
He said seeing the impact that their children made on everyone “means to us that our children’s lives weren’t in vain, because that was the first question I had was ‘Why?’ There’s got to be a purpose. God has to have a purpose. He always has a purpose. And when I look around and see all of you, every single one of you, that was the purpose. It was. ... It brought us together. We are all united.”
Brittany Stahl, mother of Alivia and the twins and another daughter, Selena, said she came to the vigil with no intentions to speak. Felena wasn’t at the bus stop Tuesday morning because she had a doctor’s appointment, but she heard the screaming.
“A mother should never, ever have to bury a child, let alone not one, not two but three, but I would feel so heartless if I didn’t come up here and tell you that I really thank you all. I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me,” she said between sobs.
She noted how her children loved Mentone and how the twins wanted to play T-ball or baseball there. Her twins were very shy but had a lot of love for the friends they met.
Brittany said she and her family also thought about Maverik and his family and what they are going through.
Maverik’s parents issued a statement Friday afternoon through the Indiana State Police, saying Lowe continues to improve.
“He is alert, talking and even making jokes with his nurses and care team. While he is getting better, we know he has a long road ahead, and continued privacy for our family is greatly appreciated,” the statement says.
“We are incredibly thankful for the outpouring of support we’ve received this week. We hope everyone will continue to pray for Maverik and for the families of Alivia Stahl and Xzavier and Mason Ingle.”
Toward the end of the vigil, Michael Stahl led the crowd in a prayer for Maverik and his family.
Shane Ingle, the twins’ father, said they came to the vigil to witness everybody’s love and tell them they appreciated everything people have done and said, and their support.
“All we want to change is for everybody to feel safe when they get on the bus,” he said.
