Two Panguitch Cheerleaders Who Have Passed On
Working together on any kind of a team brings a closeness and familiarity that bonds individuals together many times for the rest of their lives.
Recently Panguitch High School cheerleading squad faced the loss of a second member of their group with the death of Aurrora Beck. The first loss was in the spring when Atli Blevins passed away after a long battle with cancer. Losing these girls was a blow to the whole community as well as their school.
It always seems unfair when a young person dies — unfair that they didn’t get to fulfill their life’s dreams, unfair that they left their family and friends so early, just unfair for them and everyone that knew them.
Each of these girls had so much potential to affect the world in a positive manner and now their families and friends will never have the opportunity to see what affect the rest of these girls’ lives might have had.
Atli was a girl who always had a smile on her face. No matter how bad things got, she was a fighter. She showed us all how to face a trial and charge forward. Even after she lost her arm, she tried to keep cheering. She could do one-armed cartwheels like a pro. Some of her friends say she never gave up.
One of Atli’s best friends said, “If I could describe Atli in one word it would be ‘sunshine.’ Atli brought sunshine with her wherever she was. Atli had real compassion.”
Her mother had passed away and Atli sometimes just wanted to see her mother. She was reunited with her mom on March 3, 2023. Anywhere Atli went she managed to put smiles on everyone’s face. Atli was loving and spread that love wherever she was.
Aurrora was truly a friend. She was also very close to her brother, Dayton. They enjoyed joking around and playing video games. She loved K-pop music and played it for everyone that would listen.
Her friends say they would use the word “bright” to describe her. One said, ”She was smart in almost every aspect. Her smile and every other feature was just bright, she was always a radiating light that pushed you to be your best and move forward.”
Aurrora left us to join her mom on November 20, 2023. A viewing was held on Tuesday which concluded with sparklers being lit behind the church as dozens of friends paid tribute to Aurrora.
A celebration of life was held at the Panguitch High School on Saturday, December 2.
Atli and Aurrora were both cheerleaders doing stunts and making everybody smile. Both of them had lost their mothers and missed them greatly. They show us we can all learn to face life with a smile and bring cheer to those around us.
– The Byway
Feature image caption: Atli Blevins (left) and Aurrora Beck (right). Courtesy of Magleby.
Read about other courageous cancer fighters in Escalante Holds Gold Game to ‘Sparkle Like Sweden’ and Never Give Up: Lori and Her Gnome Home.