Student remembers his kindness and empathy | News, sports, jobs

It was hard to see in the dark, but it was a rural scene that showed the two together, said Gallaher, 18, while other friends of Lundyn, 17, stood nearby, not far from a mass of flowers that had been laid there in the hours since the accident.

“She always had my back,” Gallaher said – without realizing she had made a pun – and then, when asked for an example, she recounted a private memory: Gallaher had been sick and vomiting at her aunt’s house , and so were the people. She took turns rubbing her back as Lundyn announced, “I got this,” and took over, fetching her old childhood blanket and placing it between their heads, comforting Gallaher, continuing to rub her back and care that she felt better.

Gallaher began to cry as she told the story.

“She was the sweetest person,” Gallaher said. “There was no one she didn’t like.”

A makeshift memorial to Lundyn Treese stands on the 900 block of 10th Avenue Expressway Monday afternoon. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Referring to Jared Detwiler, the driver of the car, who is in the hospital but is facing charges in the accident:

Gallaher said, “She doesn't want anyone to be mad at Jared.”

Treese worked at TJ Maxx, according to fellow Maxx employee Emily Croft, 20.

According to Croft and former TJ Maxx employee Tracy Baker, 44, Lundyn was a relentless hugger.

When she noticed that Croft was having a bad day, Lundyn would immediately go up to her and hug her, almost crying because of the empathy that was a defining characteristic, Croft said.

According to Croft, she was also a tireless apologist.

“If she messed up, she would apologize a hundred times,” Croft said. “You would tell her to stop and she would apologize for apologizing.”

If she accidentally bumped into someone while walking in the hallway at Altoona Area High School, where she attended, she would say “sorry” — something unusual among students these days, said Autumn Baker, 16, Tracy's daughter, who also attends the high school.

According to Croft, Lundyn routinely went above and beyond her duties as a cashier at TJ Maxx.

She would take the initiative to fill the “queues” where the store displayed items meant to attract shoppers who were about to pay, Croft and Tracy Baker said.

And she walked around the store without complaint, picking items off the shelves that needed to be moved, Tracy Baker said.

She was a soccer player at Altoona Area High School.

A recognition event will be held tonight at Mansion Park in conjunction with the team's sub-regional playoff game at 6 p.m., originally scheduled for Monday in Pittsburgh.

“We (will) come together to remember Lundyn as a teammate, friend and great human being,” social media posts said.

Attendees are asked to bring flowers, flameless candles and other items. “Let’s come together to show our support and love,” the post reads.

There will also be a candlelight vigil for Lundyn on Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m. at Providence Presbyterian Church, 2401 Broad Ave.

Visitors should park at the nearby Jaffa Shrine Center.

A GoFundMe account set up by Lundyn's aunt had raised more than $28,250 from more than 565 donations as of 9:30 p.m. Monday, surpassing the original goal of $15,000.