VERMILION LAKE TWP- Thirty-five-year-old April Lynn Pecchia, of Eveleth, and her 11-year-old daughter Lucy Lynn LaRue Pecchia, of Tower, both died in a tragic car crash here last Thursday, April 20.
The mother and daughter were headed northbound on Hwy. 169, when April lost control and veered into the opposite lane, hitting a southbound pickup truck head-on.
Roads were icy and snow-covered at the time, winds were high, and visibility was poor. Both were wearing their seatbelts at the time. The driver of the truck, 69-year-old Frank Joseph Sopp of Virginia, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was treated at Essentia in Virginia.
The accident, which occurred near the Tarkman Rd. intersection just north of the Pike River bridge, shut down Hwy. 169 between the Y Store and Hwy. 26 for several hours as the accident was cleared. St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, Tower and Virginia ambulances, Breitung Police, the DNR, and Tower and Vermilion Lake fire departments all responded to the scene.
Lucy, who was only a few weeks away from her 12th birthday, was a sixth-grader at Tower-Soudan Elementary. Her brother Dane was a year older and had graduated from the elementary school last year. He was not in the car.
“I just think that so many kids feel like they lost their best friend,” said second-grade teacher Charissa Dahl. “Because to them she was just that– their best friend.”
Students decorated the main hallway of the school with a large banner and photos of Lucy at school. Teachers said that Friday was a rough day for both students and staff, especially for the school’s younger students, who all had stories about how nice Lucy was to them.
“You always have a plan in place for something like this,” said Principal John Jirik, “but it is never enough.” Teachers spent the day helping their students process the loss. One teacher even rode home on the bus with students who still needed extra support at the end of the day.
“Everybody loved Lucy, the kids, staff...everyone,” said Dahl. “She was one of the most genuinely sweet and caring kids that I have ever had the privilege of teaching.”
Lucy always seemed to be smiling, and it was a genuine part of her personality. Her grin stretched wide to meet her dimpled cheeks.
“She had the kindest smile, the most giving heart, and was always there to say something positive to others and lift their spirits,” said Dahl.
Lucy was also best friends with her older brother Dane.
“The relationship that she and Dane shared was something you just don’t see every day,” said Dahl. “They were so close. He always looked after her and she looked up to him.  It was a very special bond that was evident to everyone around them.”
A memorial service for April and Lucy was held on Wednesday, April 26, at 2 p.m. at the Bois Forte Wellness Center gymnasium.
April was a 2006 graduate of the Tower-Soudan High School, and she married Christopher Pecchia two years later. She is survived by her husband, her children Dane Pecchia and Zoey Funk, her parents Gunner (Jilleen) Kesler and Mary (Jeff) Peterson; her brothers Scott (JR) Cody, and Josh Kesler; her sisters Jude Carrico and Meagan Kesler; and numerous extended family, and friends.
Lucy is survived by her father, Christopher; siblings Zoey Funk and Dane Pecchia; grandparents Patrick Pecchia, Belinda (Dave) Fazio, Gunner (Jilleen) Kesler, and Mary (Jeff) Peterson; great-grandparents William (Sharon) Tibbetts, Virginia Jacobs, John (Mary Jane) Kesler, and Richard Kempf; along with numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.