The senior class at Northview High School returned to school Monday down one member.
Abigail Rose Rice, 17, an honor student and volleyball player, died Friday in an ATV accident in south Georgia.
Abbey, of Johns Creek, was attending a retreat with her teammates when an ATV she was riding overturned, according to a spokeswoman for Fulton County schools. The trip was not sponsored by the school, but was a team-building exercise for the varsity squad.
Now, her teammates will start the season without Abbey, known for her kind, giving spirit.
“We’re all very heartbroken and we’ll never be the same with the loss of Abbey,” Dana Martin, a family friend, told Channel 2 Action News. “She was a wonderful, beautiful person.”
In addition to playing volleyball, Abbey enjoyed theater and acting and had appeared in a Verizon commercial, according to her online obituary.
Since her death, classmates and the community have rallied in support of Abbey's family, including launching an online fund-raiser to assist with travel costs for relatives from out of town.
“Abbey and her family are woven into the fabric of the community,” the Give Forward web page states. “We must channel our grief and despair into something positive.”
By Tuesday afternoon, donations totalled more than $25,000. Dozens of people posted kind words in the teenager’s memory.
At Northview, the senior class wore ribbons Monday to honor Abbey.
“It’s a small reminder, but it’s enough to just keep us all together and keep us strong in a hard time,” Joseph Martin, a classmate, told Channel 2.
The family will receive friends Friday from noon to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Crowell Brothers Peachtree Chapel Funeral Home in Peachtree Corners, the obituary states. The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church, 11045 Parsons Road, in Duluth.
In addition to her parents, Abbey is survived by a twin brother, a sister and numerous other relatives.
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