WEST BOUNTIFUL, Utah — With balloons describing how she changed everyone's life left at the family's home, the aunt and uncle of the late Madolin Morley described her as "kind and compassionate".
According to Matt Morley, Madolin's uncle, they had children that were of similar age to her and often played together since they lived nearby.
"Our kids often played together, could ride their bikes over here and hang out Madeleine," he said. "They've lived here for about 16 years in this beautiful quiet community, beautiful horse pastures in the area."
The 16-year-old died Tuesday after a rock pillar accidentally fell on top of her at a West Bountiful home. She was transported to a local hospital where she later died from her injuries. One other person received minor injuries during the collapse and was also taken to the hospital.
"She was a 4.0 student, she was president of the Honor Society and she just excelled in everything she did," said Matt Morley. "She's a bright light, the calm to our chaos and she was able to think of others and she was more mature than most people and grown-ups."
Friends and neighbors have left balloons in the front yard of the family's home, with messages about how she impacted their lives for the better.
"There's going to be a huge hole in our hearts forever and without her, it seems impossible to move on and move forward," said Laura. "But we know she'd want us and to live more like her and to show more kindness and grace to other people."
In the wake of the tragedy, the family says the outpouring of love and support for everyone affected has helped them greatly.
"It's the one thing that's been able to bring peace in all of this situation is the outpouring of love that although it was a tragic event," said Matt. "We love the families and we'll continue to support them and love them."
A GoFundMe to support the family with the unexpected financial burden has been set up, anyone who would like to donate can find that website here.
