Funeral services are set for a 25-year-old Crystal Lake woman, who grew up in Lake Zurich, killed in a crash as her mother remembers her for being “full of hope and joy” and says the family is “devastated beyond words.”
The Hoffman Estates Fire Department and Hoffman Estates Police Department responded around 6:51 p.m. on February 13 to the area of Barrington Road and Higgins Road for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
Officers arrived and found a single-vehicle crash just north of Ascension Saint Alexius Medical Center.
The crash occurred by the Barrington Road Pond of the Arthur L. Janura Preserve along Barrington Road south of Higgins Road.
Police officials said paramedics transported a woman across the street to Ascension Saint Alexius Medical Center.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified her on Wednesday as Lora Reeser, 25, of Crystal Lake.
Reeser was pronounced dead at the hospital from her injuries and was the only occupant of her car, police officials said.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, which involved the car hitting a utility pole.
Reeser’s car was split into multiple pieces during the impact of the crash, which left the main body of the car with major damage.
Her mother, Sarah Wilmer Reeser, said her daughter was just three months shy of her 26th birthday, engaged and “full of hope and joy of building her beautiful feature.”
“Lora was a bright light, full of music, laughter, compassion, and fierce love for both humans and animals. We are devastated beyond words,” Wilmer Reeser said.
Brianna Scott said Reeser was “funny, full of life and had so many goals for life” and her death was a “tragic loss” that has left her friends and family devastated.
Scott told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that Reeser had been her friend since high school and also lived in her parents’ house so she was like family.
A GoFundMe account has already raised over $16,000, surpassing the $13,000 goal for funeral expenses. Scott says that the expenses could exceed the originally set fundraising goal of $13,000.
“We will miss her smile and laughter so much. Words cannot describe the pain and sadness we feel, but it brings us peace to know we can lay her to rest properly,” Scott said.
An obituary for Reeser said she was deeply involved in her school and community and went to Sarah Adams Elementary and Middle School South in Lake Zurich before graduating in 2018 from Crystal Lake High School.
She attended Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri, where she majored in International Relations and Pre-Law.
“Lora lived with intensity, intelligence, and heart. She loved deeply and loyally, always putting others before herself. Her care extended not only to people but also to animals and anyone in need. She was altruistic and kind, showing genuine, selfless concern for the well-being of others,” her obituary said.
“She possessed an infectious sense of humor and a quick wit that could brighten even the heaviest room. If you needed a laugh, you knew exactly where to turn. Her presence was magnetic, her insight thoughtful, and her conversations meaningful,” the obituary said.
Resser was “athletic and naturally competitive” and found joy in cooking and crafting. Her obituary said she was looking forward to getting married and building her own family.
“Though her time was far too short, the love, laughter, loyalty, and light she brought into the world will endure in the hearts of all who knew her,” her family said in the obituary.
A celebration of life is set to be held from 1-5 p.m. Sunday at Kisselburg-Wauconda Funeral Home in Wauconda and a private family inurnment will be held on Monday at Windridge Memorial Park in Cary.
The crash investigation is being led by the Hoffman Estates Police Traffic Unit, which has not released information on what may have caused the crash.
Barrington Road was shut down in both directions from Golf Road to Higgins Road for several hours on Friday evening.
Anyone who has information or witnessed the crash is asked to contact Hoffman Estates Police Sgt. Adam Marak at 847-781-2846 or [email protected].