Pikes Peak Rangerettes mourn loss of assistant drillmaster
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Pikes Peak Rangerettes are mourning the loss of their Assistant Drillmaster. Jennifer Dillie was killed in a car accident on Monday, but her memory lives on through the lives she touched.
The Rangerettes gathered for the first time since Dillie's death, still reeling from the shocking loss.
"Walking in here and knowing she wasn't gonna be here with us; that was really hard," Drillmaster Megan Corgan said.
According to the Colorado State Patrol, around 8:09 p.m. on March 23, they responded to a single-vehicle crash involving a 2015 Ford Explorer on Falcon Highway just west of Curtis Road.
"It was definitely hard hearing the news," Captain Hailey Herman said. "I think I was in shock when I first heard it. I kind of just sat on my bed, not knowing what to do. Not moving."
CSP says the Dillie was driving westbound on Falcon Highway when she suddenly lost control and began to rotate counterclockwise, going off the right side of the road. CSP says her vehicle then struck a shrub on the south side of the roadway, then hit multiple t-posts holding up a fence at a residence.
CSP says Dillie's car collided with a tree sideways, and the front and rear portions of her car wrapped around a tree.
"It has been quite a struggle. Mentally, for a lot of the girls, it kind of feels like a daze; like a dream," Rangerette Aubrey Chapman said.
Dillie helped coach girls and young women ranging from ages 12 to 20. Despite the age gaps, she managed to bring joy to all of their lives.
"She brought the fun to it. I can hear her laugh constantly," Corgan said. "There was something really amazing about Jen where she knew exactly what was needed for the 12-year-olds and the 20-year-olds, all the way in between. Whether she needed to laugh and joke with them, and get them a smile, or get them to really think about what they were doing and why we were all here. When we all got together on Tuesday at first, we all just cried together."
The young women Dillie coached told KRDO13 that her positive energy kept them going.
"Even if you messed up on something or had a rough practice, she was always the first one to give you a hug or say what you did well, or tell you you’re doing a good job," Anna Kopriva, assistant secretary for the Rangerettes, said.
"She was like a second mom to the team. So she was the first to grab snacks, and she was the first to give you a hug and the first to, like, laugh about anything," Chapman said.
The team says the loss has been hard but they know she would want them to keep working towards their goals.
"This team Jen was such a big part of. It’s definitely important for us to still do this to show that we do this for her, and we do this for the people. Although, we need her here," said Rangerette Emily Grint.
The Rangerettes tell KRDO13 that they plan to dedicate their entire season to Dillie's memory.
"That was her main goal. She wanted us to be having fun. So we have to remember that," Corgan said.
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