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'She was supposed to be a mom': Family and friends remember young girl full of love

'She was supposed to be a mom': Family and friends remember young girl full of love

Tears streaming down their faces, Khrystyna Maksymova's parents and younger sister knelt beside her open casket to embrace her and say goodbye for the last time.

Friends and family of the 14-year-old gathered Wednesday at Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist to lay her to rest.

Maksymova died Sunday, one day after she was pulled from a drainage pond in north Edmonton while trying to rescue a dog she was walking.

During the funeral, hymns were led by a priest and a cantor who prayed for Maksymova to have a safe transition to heaven. Everyone had an opportunity to come up and say goodbye to the girl, and pay their respects to the family.

The service was led by Father Cornell Zubritsky, who said a young person's funeral is always tragic.

He said many gathered in the cathedral were likely wondering why they were attending a funeral for someone so young.

"Did she deserve a death like hers," he asked. "No. She died because of the compassion and love she felt for one of God's creatures."

He said a tragedy like this one should remind people to appreciate and care for one another.

Family friend Kateryna Usova said Maksymova was a girl full of love who always wanted to do her best for her parents.

"This girl was supposed to be a mom, she was supposed to be a bride, she was supposed to be the best wife," said Usova. "But this is [what] God decided, and Khrystyna will always live in our hearts."

Usova said Maksymova was like a second mother to her sister, Anastasiia, who was with her at the drainage pond on Saturday.

"They were always together," said Usova.

The funeral was held the day before Anastasiia's 11th birthday.

The family is from Ukraine and have no extended family here, but the Ukrainian and Russian communities in Edmonton have come together to support the family.

"When you're an immigrant, friends become your family," said Usova. "We all help each other. We're from the same community, this lake [where it happened] is in front of my house."

Usova said the money raised by a GoFundMe page was used to pay for the funeral costs of the traditional Ukrainian ceremony.

Maksymova trained for three years at Elena's Rhythmic Gymnastics Club in Edmonton with a team of girls aged nine to 18. Coach Elena Mager-Tetz said Maksymova and her teammates were like family.

"Khrystyna was a wonderful girl. Super strong willed, very determined and she would pick things up very quickly. She was an excellent teammate," said Mager-Tetz.

Gymnastics teammates at the funeral wore purple team jackets in honour of the promising young athlete.

Maksymova was set to compete next summer in the 2018 Canadian Gymnaestrada in Richmond, B.C., Mager-Tetz said.

The coach noted that Maksymova and her sister, who is also a gymnast, were particularly close.

Mager-Tetz said counselling is being arranged for the team.

Next door neighbour Manuel David said he has known the sisters for two years. They sometimes looked after his dogs.

He remembers Maksymova as an animal lover who was especially fond of dogs, and said the sisters were always "really good kids."

"As soon as we learned, we were heartbroken. It's a big loss in our community."

emily.rendell-watson@cbc.ca

@erendellwatson