MUKILTEO — Emily Ann Swanson, 13, was seldom seen without her smile.
In a slide show documenting her life, the Mukilteo teenager wore her trademark grin whether she was riding a bike through snow, hanging out with her siblings or hiking in the mountains.
Emily — an athletically gifted girl known for her big heart — died earlier this month in an avalanche on the north slopes of Mount Pilchuck.
On Saturday, more than 800 people gathered to remember Emily at a memorial service at Northshore Christian Church. There was laughter and tears as the girl’s image smiled upon her family, friends, classmates and teammates from large overhead screens in front of the church’s main hall.
“Even though she only lived 13 years, she packed a lot into those 13 years,” church pastor Ken Long said.
Emily, a seventh-grade student at Harbour Pointe Middle School, was a member of her school’s marching band and softball team, as well as the National Junior Honor Society.
She began playing sports when she was 5 years old. One of her favorite pastimes was hiking with family and friends in the Cascade Range.
She was in the Cascades when she died Jan. 4, hiking with an adult and five other children on the 2.7-mile trail to Lake 22. The weather turned bad, forcing them to turn around before reaching the mountain lake.
The avalanche struck as the group headed back to the trailhead. Four children were trapped. One boy freed himself and the group rescued two other girls. The hikers searched for Emily for an hour before hiking out to get help at the Verlot visitors center.
Search-and-rescue crews found Emily several hours later and brought her body down early the next morning.
Pastor Long, who lives near the Swansons, said the family has been comforted by an outpouring of support from the community.
“We have watched hundreds of people who have come through to express their love and their comfort,” he said.
During the service, Emily was honored by two of her former teachers. Nancy Thompson, her fifth-grade teacher, performed a song based on a tune she composed for her daughter’s baptism. Shanna Nelson-Spencer, Emily’s sixth-grade science and language arts teacher, read a pair of poems about the teenager’s life.
“We promise to remember the lessons she has taught us through her words, actions and deeds,” Nelson-Spencer said.
Emily used to be shy, but that began to change as she blossomed into her teenage years. She was finding out who she was, Long said.
Equally important, she was learning who she was not.
As she gained confidence and made friends, Emily refused to put others down to make herself feel better. She was always offering encouragement, always accepting new people to become part of her life.
“That, perhaps, is one of the reasons why her life was so special,” Long said. “It’s a lesson to be learned. Be comfortable with who you are.”
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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