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Woman killed in Moreno Valley fire remembered for smile | Inland News | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California
Several hundred people gathered Saturday to honor Melissa Phoenix, one of two women who died in a mobile home fire Dec. 2 in Moreno Valley.
Friends and family recalled her inclination to take care of everyone and her hunger to learn, both in her classes for deaf students and in mainstream classes.
"It was not enough to learn signs. She wanted to learn how to spell the words in English as well, and even in Spanish," her uncle, Richard Langton, said during the service at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Jackson Street in Riverside.
Phoenix, 32, who lived with her mother in Riverside, died at the home of her friends Alex and Yandiri "Ruby" Valencia, who also were deaf. A candle started the fire early in the morning, while the two women slept in a bedroom, authorities said. Alex Valencia slept in the living room and escaped the home, but both women died.
Phoenix went to the home to use a phone designed for the deaf and decided to stay overnight, said her sister, Desere Patterson.
Patterson said she learned of her sister's death when she was called to the Riverside County Regional Medical Center to serve as an interpreter after Alex Valencia was brought there. She did not work on the case, however.
Special smoke detectors are available for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, that use strobe lights, high frequency sound, vibrations or a combination to alert residents. Fire officials said they found no evidence of any type of smoke detector at the home.
Phoenix lost her hearing at 10 months old as the result of medication she took for a serious illness.
As she learned sign language, she taught each sign to Desere. The two would stay up past their bedtime to talk, one leaning over the top of the bunk bed and the other craning her neck upward, Langton said.
He recalled how she displayed a caring nature from a very young age. As a toddler, Phoenix once stumbled upon her mother while she was taking a nap. She laid her favorite blanket over her mother and set down her baby bottle next to her, to make sure she was warm and comfortable, Langton said.
Later, she helped her six younger brothers and sisters with whatever they needed, he said.
Phoenix attended schools in Montebello and Downey before her family moved to Riverside, where she attended the California School for the Deaf. There, she was involved in student government, cheerleading and journalism.
She showed an aptitude at the school for science and woodworking, making a cabinet that won an award at a county fair, Langton said.
Yandiri Valencia, who would have turned 22 on Friday, also attended the School for the Deaf 10 years after Phoenix. She participated in volleyball, softball and cheerleading at the school.
Phoenix worked for a time for a deaf news agency based in Huntington Beach, but had to quit because she did not have reliable transportation there.
"She used her beautiful hands, and spoke from her heart and her feelings," Marc Velasquez Verson, the head of the news agency, told those at the service using sign language. The church has several wards, or congregations, and one of them is for the deaf and their families.
Phoenix's wide smile was evident during a slide show, set to the Eric Clapton song "Tears in Heaven," with photos of her as a child as she sat on Santa's lap, roller skated and posed as the School for the Deaf's prom queen.
Her mother, Kathy Phoenix, said she recently asked her daughter if she wanted to have some friends over to the house. Phoenix demurred, saying she had been out of touch with friends.
"Do you see how full the church is, Missy? You have friends," she said.
Several hundred people gathered Saturday to honor Melissa Phoenix, one of two women who died in a mobile home fire Dec. 2 in Moreno Valley.
Friends and family recalled her inclination to take care of everyone and her hunger to learn, both in her classes for deaf students and in mainstream classes.
"It was not enough to learn signs. She wanted to learn how to spell the words in English as well, and even in Spanish," her uncle, Richard Langton, said during the service at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Jackson Street in Riverside.
Phoenix, 32, who lived with her mother in Riverside, died at the home of her friends Alex and Yandiri "Ruby" Valencia, who also were deaf. A candle started the fire early in the morning, while the two women slept in a bedroom, authorities said. Alex Valencia slept in the living room and escaped the home, but both women died.
Phoenix went to the home to use a phone designed for the deaf and decided to stay overnight, said her sister, Desere Patterson.
Patterson said she learned of her sister's death when she was called to the Riverside County Regional Medical Center to serve as an interpreter after Alex Valencia was brought there. She did not work on the case, however.
Special smoke detectors are available for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, that use strobe lights, high frequency sound, vibrations or a combination to alert residents. Fire officials said they found no evidence of any type of smoke detector at the home.
Phoenix lost her hearing at 10 months old as the result of medication she took for a serious illness.
As she learned sign language, she taught each sign to Desere. The two would stay up past their bedtime to talk, one leaning over the top of the bunk bed and the other craning her neck upward, Langton said.
He recalled how she displayed a caring nature from a very young age. As a toddler, Phoenix once stumbled upon her mother while she was taking a nap. She laid her favorite blanket over her mother and set down her baby bottle next to her, to make sure she was warm and comfortable, Langton said.
Later, she helped her six younger brothers and sisters with whatever they needed, he said.
Phoenix attended schools in Montebello and Downey before her family moved to Riverside, where she attended the California School for the Deaf. There, she was involved in student government, cheerleading and journalism.
She showed an aptitude at the school for science and woodworking, making a cabinet that won an award at a county fair, Langton said.
Yandiri Valencia, who would have turned 22 on Friday, also attended the School for the Deaf 10 years after Phoenix. She participated in volleyball, softball and cheerleading at the school.
Phoenix worked for a time for a deaf news agency based in Huntington Beach, but had to quit because she did not have reliable transportation there.
"She used her beautiful hands, and spoke from her heart and her feelings," Marc Velasquez Verson, the head of the news agency, told those at the service using sign language. The church has several wards, or congregations, and one of them is for the deaf and their families.
Phoenix's wide smile was evident during a slide show, set to the Eric Clapton song "Tears in Heaven," with photos of her as a child as she sat on Santa's lap, roller skated and posed as the School for the Deaf's prom queen.
Her mother, Kathy Phoenix, said she recently asked her daughter if she wanted to have some friends over to the house. Phoenix demurred, saying she had been out of touch with friends.
"Do you see how full the church is, Missy? You have friends," she said.