Remembering a stolen life

By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor

It is every parent’s worst nightmare. On May 25, 2024, 14-year-old Rosenda “Rose” Elizabeth Smiley was struck down in a crosswalk in Newport Beach by a 30-year-old Fontana man. She did not survive.

That man, Joseph Alcazar, was arrested and has been charged with murder for driving under the influence and hitting and killing Rose. He had been previously convicted twice for DUIs.

Rose – who split her time between Running Springs and Rialto – is remembered by her father as being feisty, opinionated, stubborn and not afraid the speak her mind. At the same time, he said, she was loving, caring and compassionate.

As a way to remember his daughter, Smiley and his family are having at least five memorial benches created. Because Rose loved animals, the first bench was installed at the San Bernardino City Animal Shelter on Sept. 28.

The craftsmanship of the bench, Smiley said, “is extraordinary. It is more of an artistic sculpture.” He added that Rose liked mushrooms, sunsets, the ocean, the mountains, butterflies, hummingbirds, dogs, cats and flowers. All those are included in the design of the memorial bench, which also includes an etching of Rose’s photograph.

The day after the unveiling of this first memorial bench, Rose was laid to rest. 

“It is difficult to express what it means to me to have had the unveiling of Rose’s first memorial bench,” Smiley said. “There is a depth of sorrow and agonizing pain of loss that no words can describe. Yet, there is a sense of accomplishment and victory in accomplishing such a stunning memorial to give my baby a lasting legacy.

“I feel like I did something good for my little girl,” the father noted. “I wanted Rose to be proud of who her Dad is. I have a deep, echoing, desperate feeling of having let her down by failing to protect her; building a legacy in her name is what I can accomplish for her now. 

“As for how Rose would feel about this – I think she would prefer to be alive.”

The words on the bench are:

Honoring Rosenda Elizabeth Smiley
Beloved Daughter Sister Granddaughter Niece Girlfriend Cousin & Friend
Born Miraculously on 12/5/09
Her Beautiful Life Stolen by a Drunk Driver on 5/25/24
Forever Loved – Never Forgotten

Dr. Smiley is working with Assemblyman Tom Lackey and his team to create “Rosenda’s Law” to reform drunk driving laws and help other families avoid the pain Rose’s mother, Glori Smiley; her brother, Fillmore “Cinco” Smiley; and her father have to find a way to live with.

At the Sept. 12 meeting of the Rim of the World Unified School District’s board of trustees, the board unanimously approved the Smiley family’s donation of three benches in Rose’s name. One will be placed at Charles Hoffman Elementary School and a second at Mary Putnam Henck Intermediate School, both of which she attended. The third will be placed at Rim of the World High School, where she would have been a freshman.

As the board approved the donation of the benches to the district, Trustee Dr. Bill Mellinger looked at Dr. Smiley and said, “There is no way we can truly comfort you for your loss but we can support you in trying to get the word out there to make a difference. I’m sorry for your pain.”

The Smiley family hopes to place additional benches on the mountain.

Rocky’s Restaurant is holding a spaghetti dinner, the proceeds of which will go to Rosenda Smiley’s Memorial Legacy Fund. That dinner – originally scheduled for the day Running Springs had to evacuate due to the Line Fire – will now be held on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Cost is $10. “We are working to immortalize Rose and keep her memory alive and honor her spirit for all her loved ones,” Rocky’s wrote in the announcement of the dinner. Rocky’s is located at 32150 Hilltop Boulevard in Running Springs.

A GoFundMe account has been created for folks who would like to make a contribution to the memorial fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/create-a-lasting-legacy-for-rose.