DALLAS — Reese Termulo was only 16 years old. She was a junior at Bishop Lynch High School and a member of the Bishop Lynch Brigade dance and drill team.
On Jan. 10, she died of complications from the flu, according to the Catholic Diocese of Dallas.
"She's been on my dance team for three years," said Allison Elliott, the drill team director. Elliott is also a longtime friend of Termulo's parents. She was honored to be a pallbearer at her funeral.
The funeral was held Wednesday afternoon. People filled St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Dallas to celebrate the 16-year-old's life.
Elliott said the news of Termulo's death took her by surprise.
"Kids get sick all the time, and they come back to school, they come back to practice, and so that was definitely unexpected for us," she said.
She said Termulo loved her faith, her friends and family. She also said Termulo loved to dance.
"[Her family] has a lot of peace knowing that they prayed around her and that she is in heaven," Elliott said.