'Gone Too Soon': Sharmaine Legaspi Mourned By Murrieta Family, Friends

MURRIETA, CA — Family and friends are mourning the sudden loss of a 17-year-old Murrieta Mesa High School student this week.

Sharmaine Legaspi, 17, died in a single-car crash Easter night on Murrieta Hot Springs Road, just east of Whitewood Road, according to the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau. Her passenger, an unidentified 19-year-old, is expected to recover from injuries sustained in that crash.

Sharmaine was a student, frequent beauty pageant contestant and runway model. She was recently the fifth-place finisher in the Miss Philippines USA Beauty Pageant and is "gone too soon," said a spokesperson for that pageant in a recent Facebook post.

"You are well-loved by so many," the post read. "Rest in peace, Sharmaine."

Sharmaine was remembered this week by Murrieta Mesa High School Principal Scott Richards Jr., who shared a message with parents and students.

“Words cannot express how heavy we are feeling as a school community,” Richards said. "As a school community, we must continue to embrace one another with compassion, empathy and understanding."

Richards advised grief counseling for anyone who needs it in coping with the loss.

Sharmaine was a frequent beauty pageant contestant, an aspiring model and loved her job at Chuck E. Cheese in Escondido, according to her Facebook posts.

She also shared uplifting messages to her social media network of friends and family.

"The best kind of people in your life are the ones who bring out the fire and uncontrollable laughter from you," she wrote on her Facebook page in mid-March.

Sharmaine will be remembered in a public viewing from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at Murrieta Valley Funeral Home in Old Town.

She will be buried Wednesday, April 27, with services beginning at 8 am. at Murrieta Valley Cemetery.

Related:

Details Released In Easter Night Crash That Killed Murrieta Teen