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SPENCER TOWNSHIP — Family members are grieving the loss of a young woman and two little girls in a car accident during last week’s violent storm.
Karissah Kleynenberg, 21, of Gowen, and the Heffron sisters, Juliana, age 3, and Natalie, 18 months old, were all killed in a head-on car crash the evening of Aug. 24 at 18 Mile Road and Harvard Road in Kent County’s Spencer Township.
They were all passengers in a Mitsubishi Eclipse driven by Daniel Heffron, 22, of Gowen, who was the father of the two young girls and the boyfriend of Kleynenberg.
According to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, the Mitsubishi lost control on the roadway, crossed the center line and struck an Audi SUV driven by a 42-year-old Sparta man. Heffron was transported to a hospital with serious injuries and the Sparta man was also transported to a hospital with minor injuries.
The Sheriff’s Office has not yet released an update regarding the cause of the crash. Members of Kleynenberg’s family told the Daily News the incident was weather-related.
“We are still investigating the crash and our Traffic Safety Unit has more data to go through,” Sheriff’s Sgt. Eric Brunner told the Daily News. “These investigations can take a while.”
‘You could count on Karissah’
Kariassah Kleynenberg was the general manager of Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen in Greenville. She had been dating Daniel Heffron for a few months and had formed a close bond with his daughters, according to Kariassah’s younger sister, Keirsten Kleynenberg.
Kariassah Kleynenberg, 21, of Gowen, died in a car accident on Aug. 24 in Spencer Township. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon today (Friday) at Pederson Funeral Home in Rockford, followed by a gathering of family and friends starting at 1 p.m. at Spencer Township Hall in Gowen. — Submitted photo
“She loved those babies, we all loved them,” Keirsten said.
Keirsten said she spoke to her sister about an hour before the accident — Kariassah and Daniel were both leaving work and were going to pick up his daughters and then go to Meijer in Cedar Springs to pick out some toys for the girls.
“They left early because they heard about the storm that was coming,” Keirsten said. “Unfortunately, they hydroplaned. Between the rain and the heavy winds, it was just a freak accident.”
Keirsten worked at Popeye’s with her sister.
“She was a wonderful soul,” Keirsten said. “She always spoke what was on her mind. She was a very honest person. She was very caring. She was really big on family. She loved kids. If you had kids and needed a babysitter, you could count on Karissah.”
Karissah shared a birthday with her mother, Kimberly Jensen of Gowen — Karissah would have been 22 years old on Nov. 1.
“It was just an average day,” said Jensen of the day of the accident. “You don’t think it’s ever going to happen to you.
“She was just a great person,” Jensen said of her daughter. “She was caring and selfless and loyal and hardworking. Her family was everything to her. She will missed by many.”
Jensen noted that Karissah was an organ donor and thus will help others through her death.
“She was very selfless, I’m so proud of her,” Jensen said. “She was well loved. She’s touched a lot of people.”
Tammy Jensen of Gowen recalled how when her husband died this past March, her granddaughter Karissah became very protective of her.
“It was almost like she took her grandpa’s spot,” she said. “I talked to her every day, I got to see her almost every day. I’ll miss her.”
Visitation for Kariassah will be from 10 a.m. to noon Friday at Pederson Funeral Home in Rockford, followed by a graveside service at 12:30 p.m. at Spencer Mills Cemetery in Gowen with will be followed by a gathering of family and friends starting at 1 p.m. at Spencer Township Hall in Gowen.
‘Dad’s shadow’ and ‘Mommy’s girl’
Juliana and Natalie Heffron are the daughters of Daniel Heffron and Madeline Clemens. The Daily News was not able to reach them for comment for this story.
Juliana and Natalie Heffron died in a car accident on Aug. 24 in Spencer Township. A funeral for the Heffron sisters will be 1 p.m. on Tuesday at Brigham Funeral Chapel in Lakeview, with a visitation starting at 11 a.m. before the service. — Submitted photo
According to the girls’ shared obituary, they were both raised in Greenville and Julia was “her dad’s shadow” while Natalie was “Mommy’s girl.”
Juliana loved watching “Peppa Pig,” playing outside and playing with chickens and her Aunt Ashley and Uncle Jim’s house. Her favorite teddy bear was given to her by Gramma Wales. Juliana enjoyed riding quads with her dad and was also famous for stealing her mom’s phone to call her Grandma Sharon.
Natalie learned and repeated everything that her “big sissy” did. Natalie loved frozen waffle and “had the biggest smile that would light up a room.”
A funeral for the Heffron sisters will be 1 p.m. on Tuesday at Brigham Funeral Chapel in Lakeview, with a visitation starting at 11 a.m. before the service.
