My Sister, My Great Example

This is a note I wrote on Facebook on 11-12-2006

Today I’ve been thinking about my sister Katie.
Probably because yesterday I just turned 21. Katie died before she reached 21 years. That means I am older than she was—weird. It’s weird because I still think of her as older than me, still AMAZING and CUTER THAN EVER.

My sister Katie died in a car accident on December 31, 1998 on the way to our family’s cabin. My brother was driving the Station wagon and she was in the passenger seat. ~The rest of my family and I had traveled up the night before for New Years Eve and Dallan and Katie stayed back because Katie said she needed to take Dallan out to dinner for his grades, he had just earned his first 4.0 GPA.~

On their drive up, they rounded a corner with black ice, a three tanker semi-truck tried to swerve out of their direction. Katie’s passenger side of the car was hit straight on and she was killed on impact. They were both thrown from the car—through Dallan’s door. When the paramedics arrived on the scene Katie, or her body, had landed on a bank of snow and Dallan was sitting on the opposite side of the road.

Dallan survived with only a small gash on his forehead, but a severed bone above his left elbow. He later lost his bicep, from lack of blood, but his arm works amazingly well. He has since, served a mission, married and has three children.

After she died we made a movie of her, which I haven't watched in a while because I basically memorized it. It is a movie of her growing up. At one point we have family commentary, cuz at an FHE one night my dad pulled out the old camera, projected it onto the wall, had the family sit to watch it, and then filmed it with his new camera. It's funny cause you can hear all of us talking in the background. While we were watching it (mainly movies of my sister Katie when she was 2 years old) I, my 5-6-year old self would interject with the phrase "That's Me!"

Katie always called me, a miniature her, or just like her. Being the youngest of 3 sisters all I wanted to be was myself. Me. Ranae. I never realized what a compliment that was until after she died. She is amazing. She is my example, in almost all the pictures with her and family I am sitting right next to her and that is something I never noticed until watching that movie today.

Two days ago I chopped a whole bunch of my already short hair off and felt like I would shock my parents. Most of this comes from my sister Katie who chopped off her hair a bleached it, and died it a bunch of times. My mom freaks out about those things. I was going to keep it a secret and surprise my mom for Thanksgiving but I couldn’t do that. So I told her yesterday on the phone.

Here is her "statement" found in her open scriptures on the side of the bed when we came home from our cabin:

“If it were my last day on Earth, this is the record I would leave. Make each day meaningful. Be there for others, stay close to the Lord, gain all the knowledge you can about the scriptures, the gospel - - the creations of the Lord. Smile often, give of yourself even if at times you feel you have nothing left to give - - and Always remember Christ and for His example and His atonement and strive each day to be like Him.? – Katie Bangerter Aug. 16, 1978 – Dec. 31, 1998. ---

I know I will see my sister again in the eternities, if only I live righteously enough to return back to live with her.She is my example. And so is Jesus Christ. I love them both and I look to them as my examples. I love the Gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know it is true. I love my family and hope to be able to live with them all again someday.

My Dad and her drew up a poster of priorities in life. I try to focus on those things closest to God on the list. It helps me organize my life.
--Ranae