Brooke Marie Blevins always had a smile on her face, even at 7 a.m. dance practice every day.
However, on the night of Jan. 16, Blevins was killed on the way to Odessa when the truck she was riding in with her boyfriend, Jason Kendrick Lovell, hydroplaned and collided with an 18-wheeler on Highway 36 near Jonesboro. Both died upon impact, according to the Department of Public Safety accident report.
Blevins, a 21-year old junior marketing major from Nacogdoches, graduated from Nacogdoches High School and was a member of the A&M Dance Team. She was remembered at her funeral service Monday as a beautiful and bubbly girl.
A&M Dance Team instructor Jennifer Hart said Blevins was a team player and was always encouraging the other team members to perform their best.
“She was the kind of girl you wish you had 20 just like her,” Hart said. “She was a neat, neat girl.”
Hart said when Blevins did not make the team the first time she tried out, that she did not get discouraged, and when she made it the next time she was excited.
“You wondered how she did not make the first time,” Hart said.
Emily Brock, a senior chemistry major and dance team captain, said Blevins left her mark on everyone.
“We will be thinking of her all the time, regardless,” Brock said. “And that will definitely continue the rest of the year.”
Hart said Blevins was such a caring person that when Hart’s boyfriend was deployed to Iraq, Blevins wrote her a note to tell Hart she was thinking of her.
“She had this way of saying my name when she needed to talk to me,” Hart said. “She was so beautiful all the way.”
Erin Trampe, Blevins’ teammate and best friend, said Blevins enjoyed dressing up and going out, but that she was not afraid to go hunting or something of the like.
“She was always up for the challenge,” Trampe said.
Hart said team members will wear a rhinestone pin with a ‘B’ on their uniforms in remembrance, and will dedicate this year’s performances to Blevins.
A scholarship fund is in the process of being established in Blevins’ name, Hart said.
Team members said they will miss all the little things Blevins brought to their lives such as staying up late at night and just talking and providing them with a shoulder to lean on.
“Brooke was so happy and full of life,” Trampe said. “A Bible verse sums her up well: ‘Live life and live it abundantly.'”