Mepham community mourns cheerleader alum

Many who grew close to Kayla Ann Donnelly-Smith will remember her as a flyer — in more ways than one.

The former Mepham High School cheerleader, who went on to cheer at Southern Connecticut State University after graduating from Mepham in 2011, died in a car accident in Westchester County on Feb. 2. She was 22. From Bellmore to Freeport to Connecticut, her family members, friends, teammates and classmates are now mourning the loss of a young woman they said was as talented as she was kind.

Donnelly-Smith soared through the air at practices and at local and national cheerleading competitions, impressing her coaches and the judges with her graceful, athletic maneuvers as she spiraled into the waiting arms of teammates. 

Mepham cheerleading coach Nicole Kyriacou said Donnelly-Smith’s laugh was infectious; anyone who heard her distinct giggle floating across the gymnasium would never forget it. Her college cheerleading teammates at Southern Connecticut also described her as happy and full of life. 

“One thing Kayla never failed to do was light up a room when she walked in,” said Rebecca Leonard, a SCSU senior and one of the cheer captains this year. “I could always count on her to make me smile, even when I was in the worst of moods. That girl was so talented, bubbly, beautiful, smart, hilarious … She had so much going for her.” 

The crash

New York State Police officials said Donnelly-Smith was involved in a minor car accident with Winter Krzysztof, 61, of Hartford, Conn., on Interstate 95 near Rye, N.Y., on the afternoon of Feb. 2, at the height of the snowstorm. The two pulled over to the side of the road and left their vehicles to inspect the damage.

As police were arriving at the accident scene, Tai Zhao, 46, of Flushing, N.Y., lost control of a minivan on the icy road and hit the cars and the drivers. Krzysztof and Donnelly-Smith died instantly.

Kayla left behind her father, William Donnelly, her mother, Penny Smith, and sisters, Abigail and Alyssa. She is also survived by her boyfriend, Eoin Reid. Hundreds of people came to pay their respects to the family at Hungerford and Clark in Freeport. Her funeral was held on Saturday, Feb. 7. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for contributions to be made to the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation.

The accident is now under investigation. It occurred near the border with Connecticut, where Donnelly-Smith was living at the time. She was a junior focusing on inter-disciplinary studies at SCSU.