Nine-year-old Evelyn Ooms is being remembered as a talented athlete and a loving daughter and big sister.
Evelyn, who attended Wishart Elementary School in Colwood, died Sunday morning after the car she was travelling in struck a utility pole on Shawnigan Lake Road.
As friends and family paid tribute to Evelyn on social media, a picture emerged of a girl who made friends easily, loved to dance and was not afraid to get dirty.
The Grade 4 student had a passion for BMX racing and played hockey with the Juan de Fuca Minor Hockey Association.
“She was a vibrant young girl — she wasn’t scared of doing things,” said Kathleen Church, whose daughter Janel raced alongside Evelyn and her young sister, Vivienne.
Last year, Evelyn raced in the BMX National Series, earning the No. 1 spot among girls in her age group, Church said.
“She was definitely on her way to success in BMX.”
Whenever Evelyn crossed the finish line, “she was so proud of herself, you could just see it in her face,” Church said.
Evelyn and Vivienne were inseparable and always looked out for each other, she said. “They definitely supported each other and enjoyed being with each other.”
Evelyn had been part of the Sooke school district’s PACE musical theatre program since kindergarten.
Sandy Webster-Worthy, the program’s director, said Evelyn was highly focused and committed to 12 shows per year with rehearsals every Sunday, which she managed alongside her racing and hockey commitments.
“She had a smile that lit up the stage,” Webster-Worthy said.
Evelyn was a “great little performer, but never at the expense of others,” she said, describing a child who was willing to step into the spotlight but supportive of other students getting their turn.
Webster-Worthy said Evelyn’s parents, Tracey and Marcus, are devoted to their daughters, throwing themselves into whatever extracurricular activities they pick up and acting as production assistants for the musical theatre program.
Several of the parents from the theatre group have organized meals for the family for at least the next month as they cope with their loss.
Church has started an online fundraiser to support the family.
“It’s something I felt we could do to offset some of the hard times that will be ahead,” she said.
