Father remembers a daughter lost in fatal crash
KENT COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – A Kent County family is coming forward to talk about a weekend snowmobile crash that killed their daughter.
Kristin Stowie died over the weekend in Lowell Township. The driver of that snowmobile slid off the road, police think he may have been drinking.
Now, Stowie's father is sharing his thoughts for the first time. He spoke to Newschannel 3 on Tuesday.
18-year-old Stowie was killed when the snowmobile she was riding ran into a tree. Her father knows the accident grabbed headlines, but on Tuesday he spoke to Newschannel 3 about who his daughter was.
The Stowie home is in mourning, but it was also a home filled with song as Kristin Stowie's brothers and friends practiced music to sing at her visitation.
“She loved life,” said Gary Stowie, Kristin's father, “first of all she loved Jesus, he was her passion.”
Stowie told Newschannel 3 his daughter's story, a story he's learning more about by reading her journals.
“You'll see her triumphs, you'll see her struggles, not much different from the bible,” said Stowie.
Stowie says through her church, Kristin was devoted to helping others and spreading her faith. She loved her friends, sports, swing-dancing and snowboarding.
“To me, she was infectious, with her smile and love,” said Stowie.
Kristin graduated from Comstock Park High in 2009, and was planning to attend a Christian college in Florida.
However, that fateful night she went to a party with three friends.
“We don't hold them responsible,” said Stowie, “we still want answers.”
While Stowie has forgiveness, he also wants accountability.
“There was some alcohol involved, and there's minors,” said Stowie. “We don't know if the minors drank or not, but from what we can tell, the report was that the driver had some alcohol.
And Stowie knows that he will miss his daughter.
“Just her smile, you know walking in the door,” said Stowie. “She was the bonding of a lot of relationships, so we're going to miss that.”
The driver of the snowmobile, William Hatchett Jr., was also killed in the accident, Newschannel 3 contacted his family, they had no comment on the accident. Gary Stowie says he hopes to get in touch with the family sometime in the future.
Stowie's family says her funeral will be held Friday at 10:00 am at the Blythefield Hills Baptist Church in Rockford.
Visitation will be held;
Wednesday 7-9PM
Thursday 2-4 PM & 7-9PM
Grace Fellowship Bible Church in Comstock Park
The family says that any memorial can be sent to the family fund at Crossroads Bible Church Offices:
678 Front Avenue NW Grand Rapids
616-301-2904
