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Community pays tribute to Presley Kristan Morgan Hampton CONTRIBUTOR
Teddy bears were flying around at the Nicola Valley Memorial arena during the Merritt Centennials game against Kelowna. Page 42. Photo/Laísa Condé
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The community has rallied to support the family of young Presley Kristan who tragically passed away earlier this month by fundraising and organizing heartfelt tributes in her memory. Perhaps the most public of these was a drive by, a sort of convoy that drove parade style through town on a predetermined route. The organizer was James “Rooster” Merkley. “I organized the drive by because Kurtis (Presley’s father) is my best friend and coworker at Mario’s Towing,” explained Merkley. “And in the towing industry that’s our way of saying goodbye and showing support to the family.” Like their fathers, Presley and Merkley’s daughter were also the best of friends, and Presley knew Merkely as her “Uncle Rooster”. After her passing, Merkley knew he had to do something. He came up with the idea of the drive by and reached out for some help to make it special. “Presley absolutely loved her dad and all of us at the tow yard so I figured it was
the perfect thing to do,” said Merkley. “I made a post on Sunday night and it took off like wildfire.” The post was shared widely across Canada and the USA, with a total of 104 vehicles taking part. “Everyone gravitated towards Presley and we are all going to miss our little Dancing Diva,” Merkely concluded. “She was loved by so many and we will all miss her so much.” Presley truly was a Dancing Diva and had been a student at the Love to Dance Academy for many years. Kia Henriksen, artistic director and instructor at Love to Dance, had the idea of creating two commemorative art pieces to memorialize the former student. “I wanted the kids to have some way of working through some of their grief,” explained Henriksen, who settled on canvases covered with thumbprint hearts and photos. While originally just for members of Love to Dance, the Academy has since invited anyone who knew Presley to
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