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November 13, 2009 (El Cajon) -- -- A public memorial service for former Grossmont College softball player Kyrstin Gemar, 22, will be held at on Saturday morning, November 14, 2009 11 a.m. at Grossmont College, 8800 Grossmont College Dr., El Cajon. The public memorial service will be held at the college's Main Quad area, where graduation ceremonies are traditionally held. The family expects more than 500 people to attend.
Gemar played on the Grossmont College softball team in 2006 and 2007 (team captain, MVP, consecutive conference championships) before transferring to Dickinson State University in Dickinson, North Dakota. She and two friends from the Dickinson softball team drowned November 3 when a Jeep Cherokee plunged into a pond in Dickinson.
The other drowning victims were Afton Williamson, 20, of Lake Elsinore and Ashley Neufeld, 21, of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. They are believed to have gone out for an evening of stargazing when they inadvertently drove into the pond in the darkness. The tragedy made headline news across the nation.
Gemar, a business major at Dickinson and DSU’s designated hitter/third baseman, had ten homeruns and a .475 batting average in her last season. She was described by Jim Spiller, athletic director for Grossmont College, as someone teammates looked up to, according to CNN. “She could lift them up with just a smile,” he said.
She joined the team at Dickinison on full scholarship after recovering from a rotator cuff injury, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. At Grossmont, she helped lead her team to two Pacific Coast Conference championships. She also played for Clairemont High School.
The memorial service is expected to last for approximately one hour. Following the memorial service, internment will be held at El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley.
All costs for this service are being covered by private funds and from family and friends of Krystin Gemar. She is survived by her parents, Lenny and Claire Gemar, of Clairemont.
Editor's note: An earlier version of the story had an incorrect photo of Kyrstin Gemar. We deeply regret this error.
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