Young couple killed in Hwy. 97 crash rememberedPosted: Dec 8, 2008 06:49 PM By Kate Paul, KTVZ.COM'Super-funny' young woman, boyfriend lose their lives
Many friends of Geoff Keller, Vanessa Goodell have posted notes offering condolences to families of crash victimsA fatal crash at the intersection of Powers Road and the Bend Parkway late Friday night has devastated friends of the victims.
Vanessa Goodell lived in Central Oregon on and off for years before she was killed when the car in which she was riding ran a red light and was hit by a semi truck.
"She was just a person that you go home and you say, 'You really need to meet this person, she's really cool,'" Lisa Perra, a co-worker of Goodell, said Monday.
"And she was super-funny - got the jokes, sent out the jokes, got the jokes, sent out the jokes. And she'll be missed," Perra added.
Originally a Seattle native, Goodell first came to Oregon in high school to attended Mount Bachelor Academy east of Prineville on Highway 26. After graduating, she moved to Bend and met her boyfriend, 22-year-old Geoff Keller who was behind the wheel and also killed in the crash.
"He had a ton of friends. He's kind of like the hub," Perra said. "I know he's going to be really sorely missed by a lot, a lot of people. You know, he was kind of the guy to make it all happen."
Goodell also started work at a sprint store in Bend after living here about a year. Co-workers say she was an inspiration beyond her years and a motivated, intelligent employee who also had a specialty dog leash business on the side that she started at age 12.
Perra recalled her as a "very creative person. You could tell, just in the way that she wrote her name, the way she drew, what she looked at on the Internet. She was just a really creative mind."
The crash occurred just after 11 p.m. Bend police say a semi and trailer driven by 31-year old Edith Fernandez was driving southbound on the parkway when it hit their car.
"And she's gone at 19. No telling what she could have done, would have done," said Perra.
For now, police say they're unsure if alcohol was involved in the crash, but are certain speed wasn't a factor.
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