Vigil honors two of the victims of the Mesa plane crash

On November 10, 2024By Pranco

CHANDLER, AZ (AZFamily) – Hundreds of people gathered Saturday at Valencia Park in Chandler to honor two of the five victims of an East Valley plane crash earlier this week.

Father and son, 44-year-old Drew and 12-year-old Grahm Kimball, were aboard the plane when it crashed into a car outside Falcon Field Airport in Mesa on Tuesday.

Hundreds of people gathered at Valencia Park in Chandler on Saturday to honor Drew and Grahm... — Hundreds of people gathered at Valencia Park in Chandler on Saturday to honor Drew and Grahm Kimball, who died in a plane crash in the East Valley earlier this week.(Arizona’s family)

‘I keep thinking someone is going to tell me it’s not true, and then you realize it is. It’s actually a nightmare. So quite horrific,” says family friend Katy May. She’s the woman who organized the vigil.

The ceremony was held near 12-year-old Grahm’s school, and many of his classmates, teammates and church members gathered to show their support.

“So much love and pain, but when you come together like this, I mean you kind of grieve together. There is healing in that too,” says family friend Kyle Worthen. He led a prayer at the vigil.

The crowd held each other and candles as they listened to music in their memory.

Tragedy is not new to this family. Just ten months ago, the Kimballs lost another teenage son to suicide.

“This is definitely an extension of the pain and grief that they were still healing from. I don’t think you ever fully heal from loss,” Worthen said.

During the assembly, Grahm’s sixth-grade classmates blew bubbles in tribute to his bubbly personality, and many wore LA Dodgers hats in support of Drew’s favorite team.

In the midst of their grief, loved ones find some comfort through their faith.

“What we haven’t lost is this forever family. They may be physically separated at this time, but certainly not in spirit. I mean, they’re a forever family,” Worthen said.

Five people were killed in this crash. The other victims are the pilot, Spencer Lindahl, and another passenger, Rustin Randall. The family tells us the driver of the car was Ray Longhi.

Police say one person aboard the plane survived, an 18-year-old relative of the pilot.

A GoFundMe was founded to help the Kimball family.

We will keep you posted as we learn more about the investigation into the cause of the wreck.

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