Sue Ann Cornwell, a survivor of the Oct. 1 mass shooting, speaks during a Tree of Life lighting ceremony at the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. Aaron Leifheit listens at right. This year’s ceremony was dedicated to Kim Gervais. Gervais was injured in the Oct.1 mass shooting and passed away Nov. 1 of this year.
Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019 | 8:55 p.m.
Kimberly Gervais loved country music and traveling. Attending the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas two years ago was supposed to be a weekend of enjoyment.
But a gunman opened fire from above at the 22,000 concertgoers, leaving a bullet lodged in Gervais’ spine that rendered her quadriplegic. The Mira Loma, Calif., resident lost her life this month.
She is believed to be the 59th fatal victim of the Oct. 1, 2017, massacre, which remains the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Her life was celebrated Tuesday during a chilly ceremony at the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden in downtown. The event included 59 seconds of silence, one for each fatal victim.
Sue Ann Cornwell, who witnessed the massacre, read a short eulogy describing how Gervais “loved freely.”
“Remember to love your loved ones and hug freely,” Cornwell said right before the white holiday lights around the Tree of Life flickered on.
Gervais died on Nov. 15 at a Redlands, Calif., hospital where she was rushed to from a city nursing facility, according to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office. Authorities are awaiting autopsy results to identify what officially killed the 57-year-old.
Metro Police is also awaiting a coroner’s report to determine if Gervais is the 59th victim, Officer Alejandra Zambrano said.
Nevertheless, the event altered Gervais’ life and forced her into a life of hospital stays, rehab and pain. Her memory deserved to be honored, said Aaron Leifheit, education program director with Get Outdoors Nevada.
Get Outdoors Nevada, which helps maintain the Healing Garden, is working with Las Vegas — who owns the land — and a committee to consider a permanent memorial for Gervais, Leifheit said. The memorial has 58 smaller trees that are decorated with pictures of each of the victims and decorated with personal mementos.
Cornwell told the attendees about Gervais’ love for riding all-terrain vehicles in the desert and how she was eager to retire so she could travel. “She will never be forgotten by the Route 91 family.”
After the tree was lit, Cornwell and Leifheit stepped away and watched quietly for a few seconds. Soon, they were approached by people affected in some way by the tragedy. They embraced and chatted.
