Merced community celebrates life of ‘bright’ 19-year-old killed in crash

Tears and laughter marked a candlelight vigil to celebrate the life of a Merced High graduate killed in a crash in Southern California on Father’s Day.

More than 200 people gathered at Moraga Estates Park to celebrate the life of Desirae Crittenden, 19, on Thursday night.

Crittenden, a second-year student at California State University, Northridge, was driving a friend’s Mustang about 3:30 a.m. when she was struck by a suspected drunken driver near campus, Channel 30 (KFSN) reported.

Crittenden was born in Turlock and raised in Merced. Her family and friends described her as a bright, loving person who was always laughing.

“Her smile and personality were contagious,” said her friend of five years, Katie Cacabelos, 19. “She was the life of the party.”

Crittenden’s mother, Monica Saucedo, said the news of the her daughter’s death is still hard to believe. She said she and her family were on their way to a Father’s Day lunch when they first received the news.

“There was a knock on the door and a police officer asked for Desirae,” Saucedo said. “From there I knew something was wrong but I didn’t think it would be this extreme.

“We’re still in shock,” she said.

Saucedo wore a black shirt with the image of her daughter’s favorite artist, late rapper Tupac Shakur. She also wore her daughter’s name badge from the Courtyard Marriott, where she worked in Northridge.

A group of high school friends, who organized Thursday’s vigil, encouraged attendees to wear white.

“She looked beautiful in white,” said Tatyana Londono, 20, who had been friends with Crittenden since the sixth grade. “We thought it’d be a good idea to remember how beautiful she was.”

Some of her friends and family also wore white T-shirts with a photo of Crittenden; others wore black T-shirts that read, “Rest easy Des.”

During the vigil, friends shared memories that illustrated Crittenden’s easygoing spirit. She loved to dance, electronic dance music, music festivals and the San Francisco Giants, friends shared. Some of the stories brought tears; others resulted in laughter.

Friends also played some of Crittenden’s favorite songs while they wrote memories that were dropped in a white paper bag to be shared with her parents.

“Desirae would have loved this so much,” her mother said. “I know she would have liked this to be more of a happy celebration than a sad event.”

Saucedo said she is surprised by the amount of support she’s received these past few days.

“I knew she had a lot of friends, but I didn’t realize how many,” she said.

Crittenden graduated from Merced High in 2013. During high school, she tutored students in the Advancement Via Individual Determination program, or AVID, at El Capitan High School. She was also a volunteer at Mercy Medical Center in Merced, and played softball for the high school and city, her family said.

Her family and close friends also attended a vigil in Northridge earlier this week, where she was remembered by classmates and her sorority sisters.

“It was amazing to see how many lives she touched in Northridge,” Cacabelos said. “We’re glad she made friends (in college) that loved her as much as we did.”

Funeral services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Turlock Funeral Home.

This story was originally published June 26, 2015 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Merced community celebrates life of ‘bright’ 19-year-old killed in crash."