LAKEWOOD, Wash. (AP) — Molly Hightower's uncle told some 600 mourners at her funeral Mass in Lakewood, Wash., that it's easy to think of the young woman who died in the Haiti earthquake as a saint.
But the Rev. Craig Hightower said Wednesday that the 22-year-old was a complex young woman who could have done anything after graduating from the University of Portland with a triple major in psychology, sociology and French. Instead, he told the crowd at St. John Bosco Catholic Church, she decided to work for a year with some of the poorest children on the planet.
Her father, Mike Hightower of Port Orchard, says the family learned that Molly was on the fifth floor of a seven-story orphanage building when it collapsed. She helped at an orphanage and at a hospital and also worked with disabled children.
Her 24-year-old sister Jordan told the audience that the past week has sometimes felt like "the end of the world for my family." Jordan Hightower said while her sister would understand that grief, she would then demand something better from everyone.
To add a comment, please register or login.