Family remembers Tom Mya Lyons, teen

The last memory that the family of Tom Mya Lyons has from her 18-year-old daughter is a solemn moment when she sent her to her senior final ball without knowing that she would never return home.

“Everything is surreal. I cannot believe that we have sent them and celebrate them, prepare for the end and now they are celebrating the earth,” said their stepfather Charles Parker. “It's a hard pill that is now to be swallowed.”

Lyons was killed in a suburban accident just a few hours after her Senior Prom in Chicago ended.

The 18-year-old was killed when the vehicle in which she drove fell on Sunday at 4:31 a.m. on the Sibley Boulevard Ramp to the incoming Bishop Ford Expressway. The video of the scene showed a badly damaged vehicle with a broken rear window and severe damage that was visible on the passenger side.

A 16-year-old inhabitant of Riverdale drove the vehicle and he was not injured in the accident, said Illinois State Police.

Parker said the 16-year-old was Lyons' friend.

“He was cut off to get out of Expressway and lose control. I have no complete details,” he said, although the police did not confirm any details about what led to the crash.

Lyons had taken part in her senior closing ball in the Field Museum in Chicago in the hours before the crash.

“I remember when she and her mother got everything together – I am a man, so I don't know much about this kind of things – but the planning process and everything you did to prepare for the prom and the colors, how the dress was designed, I think that everything was Tom Mya's idea,” said Parker.

Parker described his stepdaughter as a music lover, who wanted to enter the industry in any way and even asked his friends for advice.

“She wanted to be a DJ. She loved music,” said Parker. “She was calm, but at the same time she was ambitious. Just to see how she interacted and some of my friends who are DJs is difficult. I can't believe it.”

Parker said Lyons wanted to go to the cosmetic school and be an entrepreneur with beauty and music.

“Man, she just has a few weeks to graduate and just to see that she is gone is difficult,” he said.

Friends remembered Lyons as “Jack of all shops”. The employees said Lyons was a member of their school's award -winning step team.

“Dance step, DJ, always had a smile on his face,” said Jeda McClendon, who said Lyons was her first girlfriend to NBC Chicago. “Never complain, just a happy and joyful girl to be there.”

“She was such a beautiful soul. She was an amazing stepper. So friendly to everyone,” said friend Neveani Bell. “She told me how much she was proud of me all the time.”

The mourning consultants were at the Homewood Fossmoor High School on Monday, although many of the classmates of Lyons were not at school due to the “Senior Ditch Day”.

“Tom Mya was more than just a student, a lively member of our community, a loyal friend, a committed classmate, a committed team-mate and a positive presence in the entire Homewood fin high school,” said headmistress Clinton Alexander in a statement. “Your energy, friendliness and your mind have touched the life of many, and your absence is deeply felt by all of us.”

Some of her classmates made their way to a memorial balloon publication on Monday afternoon and appreciated a tragedy.

“She was a beautiful soul, joked, laughs and smiled,” said friend Dylan Kenebrew. “She was just a good person.”

No further information on the circumstances of the crash was available, and the Illinois State Police continued to examine.