FLEMING ISLAND, Fla. – The family of a Fleming Island teenager who was killed while walking to her bus stop last month is making sure her memory lives on.
A palm tree was planted Tuesday in honor of Gianna Asencio near her favorite spot at the neighborhood swimming pool.
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The 14-year-old would ride her skateboard over, sit on a bench under a tree and spend some quiet time by herself. That's why her family thought the swim park down the sidewalk was the perfect place to plant a memorial palm tree.
Her parents tied a purple ribbon around a Silver Date Sylvester palm tree on Tuesday.
"We would drive down to Florida from New York and as soon we started hitting around South Carolina and she saw the palm trees, she would get excited," said Jason Asencio, Gianna's father. "So we thought this would be the best way to remember her."
Pat's Nursery in Fleming Island donated and planted the tree, surrounded by purple petunias and red ties to represent Gianna and her two surviving sisters.
"He's got a long road ahead of him, so we could lighten the load, do the best we can to support him," said Pat Stuckey of Pat's Nursery. "This is easy for us."
Vanessa, Gianna's younger sister, picked out a palm Gianna used to tell her looked like a pineapple.
"When she saw it she knew right away that that is the one," said Lisa Asencio, Gianna's mother. "She knew it as soon as she saw it."
In front of the memorial, a plaque donated by Logo Express honors Gianna, who is remembered for her smile.
Gianna's family wore her picture around their necks and purple shirts that read, "love you to the moon and back to earth and then to never land."
They watched as Pat's Nursery owners planted the palm in its new home near the entrance to the swimming pool. The palm tree is expected to grow to about 25 feet tall.
Jason Asencio picked this spot because he said it looked like a safe and serene place for her, cradled by the bushes where he could visit and reflect.
"Everyone has been wonderful, kind, and supportive," Jason Asencio said.
"It speaks volumes, how much love we've received. It's incredible," Lisa Asencio said. "So we just want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts."