On Dec. 26, a day after celebrating Christmas as a family, the Garewals packed up the car, pointed it to California like they’d done so many times before, and hit the road toward what was supposed to be a great time with family and friends.
At 2:50 that afternoon, everything changed, in the most devastating of ways.
Yui Umehara-Garewal was driving the family Honda on Interstate 10 near Desert Center about 50 miles west of Blythe. A vehicle headed the other direction crossed the median “for unknown reasons,†struck the front of the Garewals’ car and forced their vehicle to crash into the side of a third vehicle, the California Highway Patrol says.
The impact killed 43-year-old Yui, and dimmed a light across ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ for those whose lives had been touched by the petite but mighty mom, who friends say loved fiercely and would protect her family at all costs.
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She leaves behind her husband Jaz Garewal and their children Lilly, 16, and Wesley, 12, who survived the crash.
Among the many friends also mourning her are her former co-workers at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, where Yui worked as a copy editor for nearly 10 years before leaving to tackle what she called the most important job of her life, to care for and be there for her children and husband.
Yui Umehara-Garewal with her husband, Jaz Garewal, and children Wesley and Lilly, in a family photo taken in 2016.
“I’ve worked with so many wonderful people at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, and none were kinder than Yui,†Jill Jorden Spitz, a former editor of the Star, posted on Facebook. “She exuded a positive energy and constantly uplifted everyone around her. This is such a loss.â€
Though Jaz Garewal and Yui Umehara had both gone to the same ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ preschool, their paths didn’t cross until they met at the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, where Yui received a degree in journalism. They fell in love while working as broadcast media interns at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Legislature, and married in 2003, said Jaz, a software developer.
During their two decades of marriage Jaz was amazed, but not surprised, by how quickly and effortlessly she became a fixture of the Oro Valley community where they made their home.
It’s not just the Garewal family feeling the loss of Yui’s big laugh, bright smiles, hugs and stories.
Anna Likhacheva was a new, 14-year-old Russian student at Amphi High School who could barely speak English when she was befriended by her science lab partner, a beautiful and kind student named Yui.
While the two remained best friends, their lives took them on different paths until they were brought together again through their growing families. Though they talked frequently and made it a point to get their families together regularly, after Yui died, Likhacheva scrolled through her social media and was amazed by the depth of her reach.
“I realized that I don’t know who these people are,†Likhacheva said. “It made me feel so happy for her that she had created this large community.â€
The outpouring came as no surprise to the Garewals, however.
“This support we are receiving does not just come from nowhere,†Jaz said of his wife’s contagious personality. He said people are coming from all corners of Yui’s life to mourn her loss. “It’s appreciated, but not surprising.â€
He said that although Yui’s feet were small, she leaves enormous shoes to fill. There are Wesley’s drama practices at Spotlight Youth Productions to attend, Lilly and Wesley’s fencing tournaments to get to, and helping Lilly manage her crocheting business.
If you ask her friends, they’ll tell you Yui did it all with ease.
She was also commended for the work she put in as a long-time volunteer and PTO member at her children’s schools.
“If you’ve been part of our school community anytime in this past decade it is likely you’ve come across Yui’s warm heart and welcoming smile,†said Painted Sky Elementary School Principal Bethany Papajohn, who worked closely with Yui during Lilly and Wesley’s times at the school.
“She gave generously to our school by volunteering in her own children’s classrooms, serving on our PTO Board, volunteering at nearly every event, and being an encourager and consistent support just by being Yui.â€
Likhacheva called this trait of Yui’s rare. “Sometimes people value all the wrong things in life. Not Yui. Yui had ambition, and was so happy to be focused on her family,†Likhacheva said.
She could make you want to support whatever cause she was tackling at that time, school volunteers said.
Kellie Collet worked with Yui over the years as a volunteer at Painted Sky. She remains stunned by the amount of juggling her friend would do to keep everything in her life running smoothly. “I still don’t know how she did it,†Collet said.
“Nobody ever had anything bad to say about Yui, because there simply wasn’t anything bad about her,†Collet said. “She just made everyone around her feel so happy and loved. There is no one like Yui.â€
Yui had recently reentered the workforce as a full-time copy editor for New York-based Positive Promotions.
Jaz and the kids said they can feel Yui’s light shining all around them and they know she’s helping them and guiding them from above.
“I can’t say how hard this is going to be,†Jaz said. “But I can feel her supporting us.â€
Plans for services are pending.
