Ellie, a British snowboarder tipped to compete for Team GB in the 2022 Winter Olympics,died July 25 — her 18th birthday —in the forests of Les Gets in the French Alps.
During Thursday’s service at the 19th century Eglise de la Nativité de Marie in Les Gets,Ellie’s mother, Lorraine Denman, paid tribute to her little girl, saying, “No matter where the future takes us, I will always be there beside you. Loving you. Supporting you. Encouraging you,” according to the U.K.’sDaily Mirror.
“I love you and adore you Ellie, but you must now rest and worry no more,” Denman continued. “We will look out for each other forever. I make you that promise.”
Tony, who shared a home with his daughter in Les Gets and was thelast person to see her alive, emotionally described Ellie as his “best friend, my rock.”
“Ellie and I moved here together in 2009,” he told mourners, according to theMirror. “She found it very tough at first, for the first six months. Missing her mum and finding the language difficult.
Noting that his daughter easily made friends, and joking that she maybe went to too many parties, theMirrorreported Tony said, “She was everything I have lived for, for the last 18 years. And they will remain the best years of my life. I will miss you desperately, ride high my angel.”
Team GB
The family requested no flowers, instead, asking mourners to donate toThe Ellie Soutter Foundation, whichTony set up three days after his daughter’s deathto raise money for aspiring British winter athletes. It has so far raised more than $15,000 and counting.
Anthonioz, who has been mayor of the small mountain village since 2008, adds, “She lived here for nine years, went to school here and yet we didn’t — we couldn’t — know the life she had.”
Thursday, he adds, “has been a day which marked the village. All the inhabitants know the drama which has touched the village. We don’t know why this happened, she was very much of a perfectionist and she wouldn’t have wanted to disappoint anyone. That was what she was like.”
“For us it is a great loss, but you must understand that for her family, her friends, catastrophic.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
source: people.com
