Sultan remembers teen killed in high-speed collision

For the friends and family of 17-year-old Madison Rylee Whiddon, it's difficult to believe she's really gone. Her bedroom looks as though she just dashed out to visit friends; the joyful sounds of her vivacious, trademark laugh still linger in the air.

Whiddon was killed in a one-car collision on U.S. 2 near Sofie Road in Monroe on Thursday, Nov. 12. The driver of the vehicle was speeding, and officers at the scene reported that he appeared impaired. Cans of "Dust Off,GÇ¥ a known inhalant, were found inside the vehicle. Whiddon's 14-year-old sister Emma and best friend Dakota Rogert were in the vehicle, both suffering extensive injuries in the crash.

Another teenager was also injured and remains in the hospital. All three are expected to make a full recovery. The driver of the vehicle is being held in Snohomish County Jail, and faces charges of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, DUI and reckless endangerment.

Whiddon was a longtime Sky Valley resident who lived in Sultan with her mom, Heather Pool, and her two younger sisters, Emma and Savannah. As the family works through its grief, Emma is working to recover from her numerous injuries, including a lower spine fracture, a broken rib, a broken left pinky, bruised lungs and a concussion. Whiddon is sorely missed, and no one in the family is quite sure what the future will look like without her.

"We're all very, very close; that's just kind of how our family is,GÇ¥ Pool said. "We're just plugging away, doing the best we can. None of us are particularly equipped to deal with this per se, but you kind of learn as you go.GÇ¥

To Pool, the important thing is not what happened in the car, but that Madison Whiddon's memory is preserved and cherished by all that knew her. Pool and Tina Rogert, Dakota's mom, were already friends, but the tragedy has drawn them even closer.-á -á

Emma Whiddon misses her older sister, whom she described as a "very upbeat, joyful person.GÇ¥

"If someone was upset, she was always there to make them smile,GÇ¥ Emma said. "When she was upset, she was very good at hiding it, and making sure that other people were OK before herself.GÇ¥

Madison's laugh, said Emma, was one-of-a-kind.

"She had the best laugh. Her laugh made everything better, and it was contagious,GÇ¥ Emma said. "Once she starts laughing everyone starts laughing. She was just such a good person, she cared about everyone.GÇ¥-á

"Her laugh was just ridiculously loud,GÇ¥ added Pool. "Kids have told me that she would be in the lunch room at the high school, and you could year it throughout the whole entire lunch room.GÇ¥

Madison Whiddon loved cats, even earning the nickname "Cat WhispererGÇ¥ because of her knack at bonding with felines. She was artistic, and enjoyed writing, sewing and crafting. She also had a way with kids, her mother said, and hoped to someday enter into the medical profession as a labor and delivery nurse.

Her favorite class at Sultan High School was sports medicine, and although her interest in school had waned as of late, she remained extremely dedicated to that particular class. For the majority of her life, Madison Whiddon was an honor student, but she had struggled in recent months. She was in a problematic relationship and then endured a painful breakup, and school became less of a priority as she sorted through her emotions, her family said.

When her family picked up her report card from the high school, they were taken aback by Whiddon's grades, which had plummeted; she still had an A in sports medicine.

"Sports medicine was important to her,GÇ¥ Tina said. "She was really passionate about that.GÇ¥

To honor Madison, the sports medicine students at Sultan High School are planning to wear the initials MW over their hearts for the remainder of the school year.

Madison Whiddon was passionate about her friends and family. Despite her personal struggles, her commitment to her friends and family never wavered, Pool said, and neither did her commitment to the future. Dakota Rogert said the two planned to someday get an apartment together, and hoped to attend college. By all accounts, Dakota and Madison were inseparable.

"We were together every day,GÇ¥ Dakota said. "All day, every day.GÇ¥

Whiddon was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, moving to Washington at a young age. Once her parents divorced, she went with her mother and sister to live with her grandparents, Diane and Brian Griffin, in the Maltby area. Madison Whiddon was close with her grandparents; as a child she nicknamed her grandmother "DabeGÇ¥ and the name stuck. Her birthday, Sept. 27, fell on her grandparents' wedding anniversary. It was her grandmother who taught her how to sew.

"She really liked sewing,GÇ¥ Griffin said. "She made different pillows and clothes. I got the fabric and the patterns, and she made shorts and tops for her and Emma. She even made Savannah an outfit.GÇ¥

Madison Whiddon attended Hidden River Middle School, and was a creative, good-natured student, according to her family. She played sports like basketball and soccer, becoming known as "the Masher,GÇ¥ for her ability on the field. Pool moved to Sultan more than six years ago, and eventually divorced her second husband. After that, it was primarily the four of them.

"I've been a single mom for years,GÇ¥ Pool said. "We have this saying: "We're all we got; we're all we need,' and we lived that way.GÇ¥

But Pool's parents, sister and brother-in-law were always close at hand. Madison loved anything to do with her family, said Emma. She was a goofball, and enjoyed poking fun at her younger sister. She loved Disneyland and the Great Wolf Lodge; they were her two favorite places. She loved swimming, camping and having sleepovers with her Aunt Lindsey.

She had an entrepreneurial spirit. When she was 15, she created something called "Cool Kids Summer Camp,GÇ¥ which was a day camp for kids in her neighborhood. The endeavor was funded by Pool, who purchased lunch and snack foods for camp participants. Madison Whiddon planned a week's worth of activities, and treated it as a business.

She even had T-shirts made that said "Cool Kids Summer Camp.GÇ¥

"She really enjoyed being around kids,GÇ¥ Emma said.

Whiddon had recently taken a job at the Sultan McDonald's. "She was an amazing young woman, said Pool, and she was proud to be her mom.GÇ¥

"She loved indiscriminately, anybody and everybody that she let in,GÇ¥ Pool said. "I got 17 years with my best friend, and I'm just going to celebrate that. She had her struggles; who doesn't? I'm not going to let that take away from how phenomenal she was.GÇ¥

Whiddon's celebration of life was held Friday, Nov. 20, at Northshore Community Church in Kirkland. Hundreds of guests packed the church to mourn her loss and honor her memory. Members of the Sultan community turned out to support the family, including Sultan School District Superintendent Dan Chaplik, Sultan High School Principal Tami Nesting, Assistant Principal Scott Sifferman and Pastor Aaron Day.-á

Her father, Corby Whiddon, bid his daughter a tearful goodbye.

"Madison was my first born, my beautiful daughter, my Texas girl,GÇ¥ Corby said.

He talked about the things that Madison loved, including Disneyland, camping and family traditions. Family traditions were precious to her, he said, including traditions like Thanksgiving dinners, driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorating the Christmas tree.

He paused, and spoke to his daughter's friends directly.

"What happens now? What happens after this? Will each of you go back to life as usual? It is obvious that Madison had an amazing impact on so many people. She was a special person,GÇ¥ Corby Whiddon said. "But what is her impact going to be on your life? Where do you go from here?GÇ¥

He asked everyone to honor Madison's life by chasing after their dreams and always remembering to reach for the stars.

"The one thing I had wanted to get across to all my kids was a simple saying: "The decisions you make today will affect the choices you have in the future,' GÇ¥ he said. "After everyone walks out of here today, I hope that simple saying sticks. I strongly believe that Madison wants that.GÇ¥