SOMERVILLE, TEXAS — Ah’Mari Rai Mouton loved to sing and dance and to make people laugh. A country girl at heart, her obituary describes her as someone who rode horses and played sports.
She was determined to succeed in life, working two jobs so she could pursue her dream of attending college and becoming a nurse.
“She was always there for you, always there," said Jazmine Jackson, a friend of Mouton. "She loved to make you smile and laugh whenever you weren’t happy. She just had your back any time you needed it.”
Friends, family and community members like Jackson packed Somerville High School’s gymnasium by the hundreds Friday morning, all wearing Ah’Mari Mouton’s signature color, purple. Many tears were shed, and songs of spiritual hope were sung.
“I feel like she left her mark," said Krishna McGowan, cousin of Mouton. "And by that, [I mean for] teachers, friends, the community. She was always an uplifting person, therefore you could never be sad around Ah’Mari.”
Mouton was tragically killed last week in Somerville, hit by a train while crossing tracks in her vehicle.
The Texas Department of Transportation reported 37 crashes like Mouton’s last year alone, including four total fatalities.
Union Pacific railroad suggests that drivers keep 15 feet back from the rails when waiting on a train, and never cross when barriers are down.
“I honestly feel like it was that way, distracted, just never saw it coming," McGowan commented. "And unfortunately the way it happened was so sad.”
Despite Ah’Mari Mouton’s passing, for those who loved her, her legacy of love and kindness will not fade. Her loved ones expressed that the teenager has impressed an unending impact on those who knew her.
“She taught me how to love and how to be there for someone whenever they needed it," Jackson said. "She taught me how to smile every day even when we were going through things.”