BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — A Sunday night car accident changed the lives of two families in the panhandle forever.
One young girl involved in the accident was 17-year-old Caroline Long, a senior at Deane Bozeman High School.
Now as the family is preparing to say their earthly goodbye, they’re remembering Caroline for the good she brought to their lives.
“She was vibrant. She loved people. She loved her friends, they were everything to her. She was just good. She loved her boyfriend, she loved her mom, she loved her family,” said Caroline’s father, Josh Long.
Caroline was extremely involved in school activities at Bozeman, being a member of the soccer team and a Diamond Girl. Assistant Principal Ivan Beach says this week has been extremely somber since the news spread of their loss.
Beach said, “Caroline was also the editor of our yearbook and she was just a student everybody loved. Got along with everyone. Just a bright star, always smiling every time you see her and there’s just not enough words to say what kind of wonderful young lady she was.”
Long says they are now hoping to honor Caroline for years to come.
“We do want her name to be remembered and in time, we’re going to set up a scholarship fund of some kind,” Long said.
He says the scholarship may benefit things like the soccer team and band at Bozeman, as well as offering a scholarship of some sort.
What will last the longest though, Long says is Caroline’s spirit and drive.
“Caroline was so adventurous. She wanted to go sky-diving. She wanted to go get in a shark cage and watch the sharks feed. I don’t know what Caroline would’ve done but she had a lot of life left to live, unfortunately,” Long said.
As the family will lay Caroline to rest, her dad knows she is at peace.
“She was loved, and she’ll be missed and she’ll be honored and she’s in a better place than we are today. I believe that.”
The funeral services will be held this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at Wilson Funeral Home in Panama City.
