'Bright light': Friends mourn young Barrie girl following Johnson Township ATV crash

The first day of school for staff and students at Ferndale Woods Elementary School in Barrie is going to be a sombre one as they grieve the tragic death of a fellow Falcon.

Ten-year-old Maiya Doherty, who was set to begin Grade 5 in French immersion at nearby Ardagh Bluffs Public School on Sept. 5, died on Wednesday following an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) crash in Johnson Township.

East Algoma OPP say the investigation revealed that an ATV slid down an embankment and rolled over on top of one of the occupants. Doherty was taken to hospital in Richards Landing where she was later pronounced deceased.

Jennifer Grenier’s daughter, Jordynn, had been close friends with Maiya for several years, and the pair even had plans to hang out once she returned from her trip up north.

"We just keep on having conversations about memories and remembering the good times and the fun they had together,” an emotional Grenier told BarrieToday. 

Grenier remembers the girls constantly laughing together, adding they always seemed happy when they were together, whether they were making beaded bracelets, out for a bike ride or giggling away while making videos during a sleepover in the Doherty family’s camper.

“She’d pull into the driveway on her bike with the sweetest smile on her face trying to see where Jo was. They got along so well and they just seemed to balance each other out pretty nicely," Grenier said. 

The Greniers are doing the best they can to navigate the tragedy, but losing her best friend has been very tough on Jordynn, who said she will remember her friend as being “really kind, funny and sassy,” and a person who was always a very good friend to her.

“It’s beyond words to try to describe," Grenier said. "The expression on (Jordynn's) face when she found out … it has been tough, but we have been doing things … She wanted to wear green to bed that night because she said that is what Maiya told her was her favourite colour. We have been doing little things like that to try to honour her.”

Grenier described young Maiya as a “bright light.”

“Every time she’d come over, she just brightened the house. She brightened everyone’s mood," Grenier said. "She always had an entertaining sense of humour. She had this lust for life, and every time she came over she just made the house feel happier. She could make the most boring thing seem like an adventure.”

Jennifer Peltoniemi, a special education teacher at Ferndale Woods where Maiya had attended since kindergarten, told BarrieToday the young girl's death is hitting the school community hard.

Although Peltoniemi never taught Maiya, she said she had the pleasure of chatting with her regularly every time she was on outdoor yard duty. 

“You didn’t have to teach her, she had a relationship with every single teacher in the building," Peltoniemi told BarrieToday. "She would just come up and chat with you. She was the best kid. She was just so kind-hearted. You never saw frustration, anger or meanness. She always showed up with a smile.

"She had this beautiful smile. I swear her heart was bigger than everybody else’s."

Peltoniemi teaches students the developmental needs class, where many students struggle to have social interactions. She said Maiya always made a point to come and get to know these students.

“That was her heart, and there are only a handful of students that do that and she was one of them,” she said.

Peltoniemi described Maiya as a social child who loved animals and really enjoyed being outdoors. 

“She loved going up north and we would chat about all of those things," the teacher said. 

Even though Maiya was not set to return to Ferndale Woods in September — as the French immersion program continues down the road at Ardagh Bluffs school once students begin Grade 5 — her death will leave a big hole in the school community, acknowledged Peltoniemi.

“Yes, she was leaving, but you just knew her joy was going to be spread at a different school. Now, knowing that void is not going to be filled, it leaves a hole," said Peltoniemi. "Ferndale (Woods) is a very strong community and I am sure we will do something to honour her. What that is we don’t know just yet. We will come together.”

The Doherty family, she added, is surviving “one breath at a time.”

“I can’t even imagine … My intuition says that talking about her and sharing the incredible human that she was, and her hopes and dreams, and that she had such an impact in her short time on Earth with us, is important. People should know what a wonderful person she was," Peltoniemi said. 

Family friend Lisa Ramolla organized a GoFund me page to help the family, but told BarrieToday she didn’t feel comfortable commenting, noting it’s been a “really hard few days on the family.”

“Cal, Stephanie and Maddison received the worst news possible," Ramolla wrote on the GoFundMe page. 

Ramolla is asking for donations "to help this amazing family during this heartbreaking time. During this terrible time, the family should be supporting each other and not worrying about any finances. Thank you so much for your generosity and support."

As of 2:15 p.m., Saturday, the GoFundMe had raised $6,900 toward its $7,000 goal.

According to the fundraising page, a service is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Aug. 29, however no other details were available.