Family holds memorial for Montreal teen Adalya Dorvil, a 'ray of sunshine'
Friends and family came together Saturday to remember 17-year-old Adalya Dorvil, who died in what police are calling an accident on a Montreal shore.
Dozens came together for a memorial near the scene where she was found, on LaSalle Blvd. near Orchard Ave.
Emy-Anne Ouimet-Zyskowski, a friend of Dorvil's, remembers her as "a genuine person."
"She was always happy and ready to dance. If there was music around or something like that, she would start dancing," she told CTV News.
"She wasn't scared to give her opinion, which is what I liked about her. If you asked her something, she always had an answer. And she would always be able to help you if you had issues."
Family friend Steve Papineau called Dorvil a "ray of sunshine."
"Whatever she was doing, her eyes were always, 'Oh my God, this is great.' She was always smiling, she was always happy about everything. That was the Adalya that I've known forever," he said.
There was an outpouring of support on social media after Dorvil passed away Wednesday, with many expressing their shock at how something like this could happen.
Her mother, Tanya Montanaro, is still reeling from the tragedy.
"She was like a little sun," her mother told CTV News in an interview Friday, describing her daughter as a "tall, beautiful" young woman who was loved by so many.
She was a typical teen who always had friends over at the house and worked at a part-time job at a hardware store. When she walked into her neighbourhood coffee shop, Riccia Caffè on Thierry Street in LaSalle, her mother said the staff would instantly know what she'd want to order.
"She was deeply, deeply, deeply loved," she said.
Adalya Dorvil, centre, smiles for the camera on her 16th birthday flanked by her mom, Tanya Montanaro and her stepfather, Jonathan Browne. (Submitted photo)
There are still few details about what happened to Dorvil. Police say her body was found around 12:30 p.m. in the river at the bottom of a small cliff, near the Mercier Bridge. Police say everything pointed to the death being accidental.
Montanaro said she is overwhelmed by the support from the community that has rallied behind her. In the hours after her daughter was found, loved ones started a GoFundMe to help support the family and it has raised more than $37,000 as of Friday evening.
"I'm very, very, very lucky to live in this beautiful community," she said Friday evening. "It's beyond incredible.
Dwayne Buckley, a family friend who created the online fundraiser, wrote in a post that the money raised will help with funeral costs.
"In her short time here she has left a mark on all of us. No mother should ever have to experience this type of loss and as a community we would like to stand together in solidarity with the family," he wrote.
The family said funeral arrangements are still being planned out. In the meantime, the coroner's office is investigating the incident to determine the exact cause of death and shed more light on what happened.
With files from CTV's Rob Lurie.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
What a U.S. farmworker’s case of bird flu tells us about tracking the infection
A U.S. farmworker who caught bird flu after working with dairy cattle in Texas appears to be the first known case of mammal-to-human transmission of the virus, a new study shows.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.