Cousins killed in crash remembered with laughter, tears

Kay Deraway, Travis Lighthall died in head-on collision while heading to church

Family photo of Kay Deraway and Travis Lighthall

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dozens of friends and family members gathered Wednesday to mourn the deaths and celebrate the lives of two teenagers who were killed in a crash last week in Yulee.

The funeral of Kay Stanley Deraway IV, 16, and Travis Lighthall, 15, was held at the Oceanway Assembly of God on Sago Avenue West.

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The two teenage cousins were on their way to church last Wednesday night when they were killed in a head-on crash that troopers believe was caused by weather conditions.

RELATED: Teen cousins heading to church killed in Yulee crash

A Nissan Sentra was traveling south on U.S. 17, and because of the weather conditions, it crashed into a Kia Soul that was going in the other direction, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The two teenagers in the Nissan -- Deraway, who was driving, and Lighthall -- were killed. Deraway attended First Coast High and Lighthall attended Oceanway Middle School.

At Wednesday's funeral, friends and family members drew laughter and tears as they remembered the boys' lives.

"Kay was ... really funny and always nice to be around,” Deraway's cousin, Chris Vandrusar, said. “He was a joy, and it's sad that we lost him. He was too young."

"Travis was a good kid,” Lighthall's friend, Ketravius Williams, said. “He used to joke a lot, and he would always play around with the students, but he did a lot of good things."

Youth Pastor Dan Meys told News4Jax the teens' parents were out of town, and they were staying with other family members, which is why they were driving on U.S. 17 -- a route they wouldn't have normally taken, to get to their church.

He said the teens loved going to youth service at Oceanway Assembly of God and their deaths will have a major impact on the ministry. 

"They were fun, lively dudes and we had a lot of fun with them, and they are going to be greatly missed," Meys said. "The Scripture tells us that mourning, it lasts for the night and joy comes in the morning, and we are just believing that through this time. Their legacy is going to live on, and it's going to fuel the next generation to run harder after Jesus, and that's what we're believing."

About 100 people went to Hamburger Mary's Charity Bingo Monday evening to help raise $1,128 that will go toward the teens' funeral costs.

The boys' families have also set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for funeral expenses.


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