Kristina Calco

Kristina Calco was a brilliant, beautiful and talented girl, a bright stroke of color on an otherwise ordinary canvas. She was a gifted student and artist, as well as a sensitive and sweet young woman, yet her life was a painting made of light, so radiant, and so fleeting. Her light has gone now, but the beauty her life left behind, and her memory, lives on in the hearts of those who knew her.

The year was 1989, and it was a time of great promise in our nation as well as the world, with freedom ringing in every corner of the globe. The Berlin Wall was falling, as the Cold War was coming to an official end, students protested oppression in China's Tiananmen Square, and America freed the people of Panama from the tyranny of dictatorship, giving them a chance at a better life. And Kristina's parents had reason to celebrate, as well. Kristina was born December 26, 1989, in St. Mary's Hospital in Livonia, Michigan, a precious, belated gift to her parents, Robert Calco and Michelle Caurdy, on that cold Tuesday the day after Christmas. Kristina's father was a financial expert working for a bank, while her mother was a student at Michigan State University. Kristina and her family lived in Plymouth, Michigan her first six months of life, before moving to nearby Livonia, Michigan. When she was five years old, the family moved one last time, picking up and moving across the state, settling in to the quieter, slower pace of Portage, Michigan.

Kristina was a little princess growing up, every mother's dream, so feminine and such a little lady. She loved to dress up, and usually wore beautiful dresses, trying them on and modeling for her mother. She loved her parents, who instilled a love of learning in Kristina. She loved to read, and as a child loved having her parents read aloud to her, always pleading for "just one more story" before bedtime.

She also loved Christmas, of course, and especially loved singing Christmas carols. But because her birthday came the day after Christmas, she and her family would celebrate her half-birthday every year in June. She was always too bright, too special, for one birthday, anyway.

She was without question a very special girl, a bright splash of color on an otherwise ordinary canvas. It was clear to anyone who met her. She was always an excellent student, earning straight A's, and being the sweet little lady she was, she took ballet class with her sister. As you might expect, Kristina loved the ballet uniforms, and loved being a ballerina, performing her dances so carefully. She was always a perfectionist at everything she did, even as a young child.

Kristina always set the highest standards for herself at everything. She always strove to be the best, and so often was. She always excelled in school, at Haverhill Elementary in Portage, then Portage North Middle School, and then Portage Northern High School, where she was a sophomore and straight-A student. In Middle School, Kristina once earned a third-place ribbon in a Forensics competition, against students from all across the state.

But Kristina's talents extended beyond just academics. She was very active in-school and out, and during Middle School was a member of the volleyball, track and swim teams, participated in Forensics, ski club, the school newspaper, year book, and video announcements. At Portage Northern she was a cheerleader, continued her parcipaction in Forensics, played tennis, and ran track. She also loved reading and books very much, and was very active in the summer reading program at Portage District Library, where she spent so much time, reading and learning.

And while she worked hard for what she earned, she was also innately gifted, blessed with a special artistic ability. She was a natural in so many different art forms; she was an excellent sketcher and illustrator, could draw in color so well and created beautiful collages in so many mediums. She also made jewelry and beaded dolls and other crafts when she younger. She was such a talented artist, in fact, she was offered an opportunity to apply for a scholarship to the prestigious Cranbrook Academy of Art, one of the Midwest's premier prep schools. Yet she turned down the opportunity to attend Portage Northern, and to stay close to her family and friends.

She loved her family and friends so much, and was a very loving, considerate young woman. And as bright a light as she was at everything she did, she was constantly deflecting the spotlight onto others, passing the credit off of herself. She was so sympathetic and empathetic to the needs and concerns of those around her, always so giving, so positive, so special. Her smile and her cheerful heart helped brighten the day for many of her friends and classmates.

Kristina was a special girl, yet was so normal in so many ways. She loved music, and was so thrilled with her new pink iPod music player. She made her own mixed CDs, as well, always picking just the right songs to fit together. She also loved to watch the TV show "Smallville," about the young Superman, and his difficulty in being different, in being special.

Kristina was a truly special young woman, a bright stroke of color on an otherwise ordinary canvas. Her life was a painting made of light, shining so brightly on those around her. And today that light, and the beauty her life leaves behind, lives on in the hearts of those that knew her.

Learn more about Kristina, view her Life Story film, and visit with her family and friends Thursday from 4-8 p.m. at the Betzler Life Story Funeral Home, Stadium Drive, West of US-131, 375-2900, where a time of sharing memories will be held that evening at 7:30 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Monica Catholic Church. Following the Mass, food and fellowship will be shared at St. Catherine of Siena Parish Hall. She was preceded in death by her grandfather, Mike Caurdy. Surviving members of her family include her parents, Robert and Michelle Calco of Portage; sister, Gina; two brothers: Brice and Daniel Braden; maternal grandmother, Mary Morgan of Plainwell; and paternal grandparents, Robert and Elaine Calco of Northville, MI; great-grandfather, Nick Calco of Parma, OH; and great-grandfather, Alfred Fratiani of Brook Park, OH; four aunts: Cathleen Forschler of VA, Linda Lewis of Canton, Robin Caurdy of Canton, and Heather Savalox of CO. To read Kristina's complete Life Story, archive a memory, order flowers, or make a memorial contribution to the charity of your choice, please visit her personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com.