Friends, family remember sister missionary killed in Pennsylvania


3 photos
Save Story

Show 1 more video

Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

KAYSVILLE — An LDS missionary who was killed in a car accident in Pennsylvania on Tuesday will be remembered for her positive nature and life-changing smile.

"I want everybody to know about Sadie," said Mariah Johnson, who has been friends with Sadie Wells since fifth grade. She said Wells, of Kaysville, was an example of kindness to everyone around her.

"She just had this kind heart that was like nobody else's," Johnson said, adding that the two of them would often break out in song. "I'll miss that a lot," she said. "We all wish we could just hug her one more time."

Wells, 20, died after a bus allegedly ran a stop sign and hit a passenger car containing four sister missionaries in Cumberland County, in south central Pennsylvania. Wells was in the front passenger seat of the small car. The three other occupants, according to a statement from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were being treated at a Pennsylvania hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Wells' passing was felt at Davis High School, where she attended, participating on the track and cheerleading teams there. She was a former teammate of recently returned missionary, Jazmyn Jeppson, who was killed in a car accident involving an alleged, rogue carjacking suspect in Centerville on Feb. 1.

"She (Wells) was popular because she was so nice to everyone," said Corbin Talley, Davis track coach. "She was so positive and so kind. A real angel."

"You look at these two girls, such sweet spirits and sweet personalities and it's just hard to deal with," Talley said.

Wells, Johnson said, struggled with the idea of going on a mission but was at peace with it when she left home in May 2015.

"Reading her emails every week, you could see how much her testimony had been strengthened, and how much as a person she was strengthened and how much happier her mission really did make her," she said. "I could see her happiness from her emails."

The Wells family on Wednesday echoed the difficult loss, but they said they know their daughter "is with her Heavenly Father and that she continues the Lord's work with the same vigor and enthusiasm that she did in life," according to a family statement.

"Sadie loved life and loved being a missionary," her family said. "Her letters home were filled with her vibrant personality, love for the people of Pennsylvania, love of the gospel and love for her Savior, Jesus Christ."

Related

The Kaysville family said it is "deeply saddened by the loss of our daughter and sister," but expressed concern for survivors of the accident.

"We pray for them and their families."

Brooke Painter, a cheer coach at Davis, said she will always remember Wells' sense of humor.

"She was so fun and full of life, responsible and hardworking," Painter said. "My heart goes out to her family and her siblings, but I know she was doing what she loved. She had the cutest pictures, it seemed like she was loving every minute of what she did."

Members of the track and cheer teams who knew the two women at Davis High School grappled with the loss of two friends and peers "in such a short time," said Ammon Hanks, a former track athlete there. He said both women seemed to "have wonderful lives ahead of them."

"The community has really lost two wonderful angels in these past few days," he said, adding that as a returned missionary, he knows the two women are "happy now."

Hanks said that Wells' choice to serve a mission "changed her life and her family's life. Her mission will continue to influence not only the people who knew her here in Kaysville, but people all over the world who hear about this."

"A mission was very important to her," he said. "People will always know that."

Contributing: Mike Anderson

Photos

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Wendy Leonard

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast