CANAL WINCHESTER, Ohio — Family, friends and coworkers of 29-year-old Alexa Stakely gathered at Winchester Trail Elementary Wednesday night to honor and remember her life.
Stakely worked as a speech-language pathologist at the school for the past five years. She was killed last week when several men attempted to steal her car with her 6-year-old son inside.
"She would've loved to see how truly popular she was,” said Braedyn Price, Alexa’s brother.
Many people who attended the vigil shared how she touched their lives.
"She was my best friend and I'm gonna miss her a lot. It's very hard to lose someone like that,” Price said.
"She was that friend that was always in your corner,” said one of Stakely’s coworkers.
"We'll miss her stories, our inside jokes, her doing her son's hair in Lindsey's room every morning,” another coworker shared.
Price said the outpouring of love and messages from those who knew his sister had meant everything to their family.
"I didn't know exactly how deep her hands were into the community, but it's a blessing to see everybody here supporting and it touches me deeply,” Price said.
Price said the community has also stepped up to support Stakely’s son now and in the future. Several fundraisers are scheduled to raise money for their family and a GoFundMe was created to support them.
"Definitely being spoiled... she would've liked that too. But everyone's taking care of him, he's in good hands, and I'm very confident for how he's going to grow up in his future,” Price said.
Not only did family and coworkers share the impact Stakely had on their lives, but many parents also shared how she transformed their kids’ lives, saying her help with their speech changed everything.
"She made an astronomical difference,” said Katie Griffin, the mother of two of Stakely’s former students.
Griffin said both her son, Marshall, and daughter, Waverly, had "Ms. Alexa" as a teacher in pre-school. She said Marshall went from being almost completely non-verbal to talking and for the first time, Griffin heard words from her son that some might take for granted.
"Marshall just saying, 'I love you.' That was... I mean, my son's on the spectrum, so having your child say that, for a lot of parents with kids on the spectrum, that's just everything,” Griffin said.
Now, those who loved her hold close to the memories and the impact she made on their lives.
"I'm glad that she extended her love to everybody and everyone felt her presence, knew who she was, cared about her,” Price said.
Police released surveillance videos showing three suspects believed to be connected to the vehicle theft and Stakely’s death.
The school district said Stakely was a great mother and “made a difference in the lives of the students and families she worked with.”
RELATED: Charity drive being held for 6-year-old boy whose mother died trying to save him from stolen vehicle
On July 22, there will be a charity drive at Loose Rail Brewing in Canal Winchester for Stakely’s son. Organizers say 100% of sales during the event will be donated to a trust for the boy.