Family and friends shared laughter and tears during a Jan. 12 memorial commemorating the life of the Petaluma woman and SRJC student who died earlier this year.

Alyssa Byrne, 19, who was taking paramedic-firefighter classes on SRJC’s Petaluma campus, went missing late New Year’s Eve while attending the SnowGlobe Music Festival, a three-day concert in South Lake Tahoe. According to the El Dorado County Sheriffs, a public utility worker found Byrne’s body early Jan. 4 over a snow bank, a few feet from the roadway. The location of her body was approximately a half-mile from the concert venue.

The public memorial was held in the Casa Grande High School gym, where Byrne graduated in 2011. Hundreds of community members attended the memorial dressed in Byrne’s favorite color: pink. Guests were encouraged to stray from the traditional black attire as the memorial was meant to be informal and celebratory.

Members of the community were given a chance to speak and share stories about their time with Byrne during the open mic portion of the memorial. Family, coaches, friends and teammates recounted stories describing Byrne’s energetic spirit and positive attitude.

Kevin Byrne, Alyssa’s Byrne’s father, was first to speak. “My biggest fear was that only 20 kids would show up today,” he confessed to the large audience.

Kevin spoke on the very court that his daughter had once run up and down on while playing basketball for the Casa Grande ‘Lady Gauchos’. He shared memories of talking to Alyssa during long drives to lacrosse games and watching her play baseball as a child. “She was truly amazing,” Kevin said. “She was beautiful.”

Byrne was very involved in sports, playing basketball, baseball, softball and lacrosse.

Joe Enes coached Byrne at Casa Grande and shared stories about the athlete. “She was excellent in every sport, including basketball,” Enes said. He described Byrne’s eagerness to spend time with her friends and create new memories.

Julia Cratty, 21, played basketball with Byrne at Casa Grande during her sophomore year. “She was always happy and never let anyone bring her down,” Cratty said.  She recalls Byrne goofing off during practice with other teammates and never taking things too seriously.

Above all, Byrne was known for having a smile on her face. SRJC student Judith Diaz  went to school with Byrne and although they only shared a few classes together, Diaz was always inspired by her positivity and confidence. “I would secretly look up to her,” Diaz said. “I don’t think I ever saw her when she wasn’t smiling.”

At the memorial, guests were asked to  raise their right hand to take an oath; a promise to travel with a friend if they were at an unfamiliar place and to help others in a similar situation.

Fundraisers were held at several restaurants, including Beyond the Glory, where Byrne’s brother works, Pongo’s Kitchen & Tap and Mi Pueblo. According to Kevin, the family is in the process of narrowing down the organizations that will receive the donations from these fundraisers.

Jay Donnellan, a friend who travelled to the music festival with Byrne, has arranged a Feb. 23 benefit concert at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma. He was originally planning a concert on the same day “but since things turned out the way they did, I decided to help out and make the show a benefit.” According to Donnellan, the proceeds will be donated to the family.

Byrne is survived by her father, mother Kim and her brother, Greg. Kevin thanked the community for coming to the memorial and supporting his family. He hopes people remember his daughter’s energy.

“I just want people to remember all the good times they had,” he said.

Byrne’s funeral was on Jan. 11, a day before the memorial.