Three days before she died, Amanda Bixby sang one of her favorite songs during all three services at Tonganoxie Christian Church.

At her funeral Monday, Amanda’s family and friends watched Amanda sing the song one last time – through a videotape made Feb. 11 at her church.

Amanda’s life was cut short by a three-car accident on Valentine’s Day. At 9:15 p.m., she was headed home from work, driving west on U.S. Highway 24-40 at 158th Street. The Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office said Ricardo De-Leon Flores, 20, Lansing, the driver of a northbound Toyota 4Runner, failed to yield at the stop sign.

His car struck a Dodge Durango driven by Bill Nichols, Basehor, and then struck Amanda’s Ford Taurus.

Amanda, just two months shy of her 20th birthday and the only child of Dennis and Denise Bixby, died at the scene.

Flores was cited for vehicular homicide, failure to yield and having no driver’s license. Prosecutors are reviewing the case to determine whether charges will be filed.

According to the sheriff’s office, in the third vehicle were Nichols and four passengers, his wife, Dawn, their son, Juston, 15, and family friends, sisters Katelynn, 16, and Shelby Witt, 14, Basehor. The five had attended a freshman boys basketball game at Basehor-Linwood High School and were on their way to their homes.

Curtis Witt, Katelynn’s father, said she suffered severe injuries to her left foot. He said she remains a patient at Kansas University Hospital.

Waiting and worrying

Denise Bixby last talked to her daughter at 9 p.m. Feb. 14.

Amanda called home to say she was leaving Nebraska Furniture Mart, where she’d worked the past 1 1/2 years. Her mother knew if Amanda came straight home she would have been there by 9:30 p.m.

When 10 p.m. came and went, Denise became concerned. She called Amanda’s cell phone. She assumed Amanda might have stopped to visit friends along the way and left her phone in her car. But as the minutes passed, Denise became more worried. She continued calling.

About a half hour later, about 10:30 p.m., the doorbell rang. It was a sheriff’s officer.

“When somebody comes to your front door late at night and it’s the police or sheriff, you know something bad happened somewhere,” Denise said.

Along with the devastating news, the officer brought Amanda’s purse, which contained her cell phone. The officer had heard it ringing.

“He said, ‘I knew it was a parent calling because the phone kept on ringing,'” Denise said.

Born musician

Throughout Amanda’s life, music was her love, her father said. He noted that in high school Amanda was a member of Chieftain Singers.

In ensembles and solos, Amanda was among those who garnered top scores at state music festivals.

In 2003, she successfully auditioned for the nationally known Continental Singers. On a six-week tour with the group, she performed in 22 states.

Amanda took her music seriously, her father said.

Yet she also had fun with it.

“One night we were laying carpet and Amanda was singing ‘Count Your Many Blessings,'” Dennis said. “It was late at night and we were all a little slaphappy.”

Dennis cut his finger, and once everyone realized he was OK, Amanda continued her singing with a twist.

“She changed the song to ‘Count Your Many Fingers One by One,'” Dennis said, chuckling. “By the end of the evening she had two or three verses written to it.”

Community support

Friends – old and new – attended the visitation at the church, where about 450 people signed the guest book.

In attendance were friends from out of town, from other churches the family had attended before moving here in 1994, and Amanda’s friends and co-workers.

It was at the furniture store where Amanda became known as Santa’s Singing Elf during the holidays and where in the spring she’d don an Easter bunny costume and pose with children for photographs.

Denise said at least 50 of Amanda’s co-workers from Nebraska Furniture Mart attended the visitation.

And Denise said two couples they hadn’t previously met attended. One couple was related to the driver of the third car that was in the accident the night Amanda died. The other couple said they were one of the first cars to reach the scene after the accident.

“They said, ‘We couldn’t do anything for her,'” Denise said. “They just stood and cried at her casket and it was so sweet of these two different couples to come when they didn’t have to.”

Daddy’s buddy

“She was my buddy,” Dennis said of his daughter.

He called Amanda “Bullet,” a name that for some reason his own father long ago had nicknamed Dennis.

“She wouldn’t let anybody but me call her that,” Dennis said.

When Amanda was young, she and her father would eat breakfast at Fourth Street Cafe and then they’d go to the lumberyard, where they’d visit owner Charlie Ussery, whom Amanda fondly referred to as “Uncle Charlie.”

Ussery said Amanda had a special personality.

“She was just always smiling, always happy, just one of the most upbeat people I’ve ever seen,” Ussery said. “She had one of those smiles that you’ll never forget.”

That ties in with the daisies her parents selected for Monday’s service.

A cascade of pink, white and yellow daisies decked her silver casket.

“Daisies were Amanda’s favorite flower,” Denise said, explaining that in the movie “You’ve Got Mail,” there was a line about daisies being “friendly flowers.”

“Amanda picked up that line when we saw that movie,” Denise said.

“And after that it was daisies forever because they’re ‘friendly flowers.'”