Crash victim remembered for 'huge personality', love of life

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Layla Jean Elaine Rodgerson is being remembered by her family as a positive, fun-loving, free-spirited teen who was bold, loved life, and always advocated for what she wanted.

The 14-year-old was one of three young people who lost their lives in Sunday’s fatal crash on Douglas Avenue, on Fredericton’s north side. The others were a 22-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy. A 15-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl were taken to hospital with injuries.

Rodgerson’s mother, Becky Arseneault, said her daughter was determined, courageous, and fought for what she believed was right.

“Layla had a huge personality,” said Arseneault. “She was not somebody who ever changed who she was to suit someone else. She was very brave like that and was a huge advocate for her friends and everybody. We were so proud to have her as our daughter.”

Arseneault said Layla, who attended Leo Hayes High School, fought for social justice causes and was always “ahead of the game” in ordering T-shirts for Pink Shirt Day against bullying and other awareness days. She said Layla was “incredibly responsible” and mature beyond her years, and she’ll miss her frequent text messages while at work to check in and ask to go to a friend’s house.

Layla started working at the age of 13, Arseneault said. She was hired on the spot at both her workplaces, Dairy Queen on Union Street and Mary Brown’s.

Arseneault, who works in human resources, said she offered to support Layla in her job searches, but Layla was confident she would be hired.

“She wanted to make her own money and be independent and buy all of the things she wanted,” said Arseneault. “She loved going to work and enjoyed talking about her shifts afterwards and the customers she waited on.”

Arseneault said Layla always had to tidy her bedroom before visiting friends, and the eve of Sunday’s crash was no different. She said Layla spent all day organizing her room on May 4 before going to work and meeting friends afterwards.

“After all of this was said and done, I said to my friends and family, ‘oh my gosh, her bedroom is the cleanest I’ve ever seen it,'” said Arseneault. “Now we know why. Because she shoved everything in her closet.”

While acknowledging that tragedies happen, Arseneault said she never thought she would experience one for herself. She said losing her daughter is “a complete nightmare,” but she and her family appreciate the first responders who attended Sunday’s crash and the outpouring of support from the community since then. She said she hopes to eventually create a memorial to keep Layla’s legacy alive, celebrate her life, and help others.

Arseneault also encouraged others who have lost children to avoid dwelling on the negative and cherish the positive memories they have of their loved ones.

“Everybody has just been a blessing, which is helping me get through these days,” said Arseneault. “Layla’s friends and people who knew her, the school staff, and her friends are all reaching out and doing things to honour her, which is above and beyond.

“I love seeing the kids sharing videos on social media, drawing on the walls at school, and putting stickers on their cars. There are some fundraisers planned too. We want to use those to do something to honour Layla so that her spirit continues to live on.”

In addition to her mother and her mom’s partner, Layla leaves behind her father, grandparents, siblings, uncles, aunts, great aunts, cousins, and friends who are like family. Her memorial service is Saturday at 2 p.m. at York Funeral Home’s T. Gordon MacLeod Memorial Chapel. Her burial will be at the Nackawic Cemetery at a later date.