'Two Years in Heaven': Family, Friends Remember Gabrielle Acevedo

It was two years ago today that the Acevedo family of Port Chester was struck by tragedy as 21-year-old college student Gabrielle Acevedo died as a result of a car acccident.

While the student at Nazareth College in upstate Pittsford, NY, near Rochester, is gone from her family and friends, she is still remembered and cherished for her spirit and her sense of commitment to the community.

Gabrielle was remembered on Saturday at a mass at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Port Chester. Moe Acevedo, Gabrielle's father, said many friends and neighbors visited their home over the weekend to share thoughts — and prayers — about Gabrielle.

He also explained that many of Gabrielle's fellow students from Nazareth College called or e-mailed the family to check in with them. Friends also stay in contact through the R.I.P. Gabrielle Acevedo page on Facebook.

In Port Chester, Gabrielle is also remembered in the  "Walk for Gabby" event. In May 2012, the second annual Walk For Gabby raised about $6,500 for the scholarship fund that bears the 2007 Port Chester High School graduate's name.

The third Walk for Gabby is set for June 15 at Port Chester High School.

Gabrielle was injured in a head-on car crash on Jan. 22, 2011. She was majoring in Speech Pathology with a minor in Spanish. In Port Chester, she had been a counselor and lifeguard for the Port Chester Recreation Department Day Camp, a peer leader and a member of the Anthony Foust Mentoring Program while in high school and a member of Partners for Learning at Nazareth College.

The scholarship fund in her memory is set up to help support a student studying communication disorders or special education. To donate to the fund, checks can be sent to The Anthony Foust Mentoring Group, Port Chester High School, 1 Tamarack Road, Port Chester, NY 10573, write "Gabby Acevedo" in the memo.