'Taken Too Soon': Memorial Tuesday For Girl, 10, Killed In Crash

SOUTHOLD, NY — If life were different, Amber Stulsky would be celebrating her first day of seventh grade this week, laughing with friends and embarking on a new chapter in her young life.

But Amber died in a crash in Greenport in 2019 leaving a trail of broken hearts and so many tears in a community rocked by loss.

Amber died on the eve of her first day of fifth grade as she and her mom were back-t0-school shopping.

To mark the day and remember her bright light, the community will gather on Tuesday, the eve of the first day of school, at Founders Beach at 5 p.m. in Southold for a memorial in her honor.

"Class of 2027 — and anyone who knew Amber and wishes to honor and remember her sweet soul — please come," Southold mom Erin Bednoski said. "We plan on making bracelets with Amber's name on them that the kids can wear to school the next day."

Bednoski said Amber had been her daughter Abbi's friend for two years. "She was a sweet kid. Soft-spoken. She didn’t ask for much; she loved the simple things. She always loved to have fun, and she loved nature," Bednoski said.

Amber, Bednoski said, spent time at her house with Abbi and her other two girls, making memories at sleepovers, swimming, riding Hoverboards, and spending days at Splish Splash.

Abbi used to stay in during recess to help her with her math, Bednoski said.

Of the memorial, Bednoski said: "It’s important to remember her and her sweet spirit. She was taken too soon."

Amber was an only child, Bednoski said. "I have three girls so she fit right in. I just remember the fun she had, with my kids, at my house — her smile and happiness. Her passing changed my children’s lives forever. It tore them apart."

The days since have not been easy for Bednoski's children, trying to understand, she said.

'The healing has been a struggle; they have questioned their own mortality. Abbi often worries, if she passes, will she be forgotten? I promised her that would never happen."

Amber will never be forgotten, Bednoski promised. "I hope to help others in her memory," she said.

Last year, on what would have been her 12 birthday, Abbi and she pledged to donate 12 pairs of winter boots in her honor; they collected more than 20 pairs. They also did rock painting last year to remember Amber on the night before school started — and the kids took them to school the first day and decorated a garden, she said.

"I am so glad my daughter became friends with her; I’m glad they had each other," Bednoski said. "She touched our lives in so many ways. I find peace knowing she had Abbi and my other daughters to play with and experience things with — even though it was only for a few short years."

She added, to Amber: "I hope you're dancing in the sky. I hope you're singing in the angels' choir. And I hope the angels know what they have. I'll bet it's so nice up in heaven since you arrived."

In a tragic twist, the devastated community is praying for Amber's father Jason Stulsky, is now fighting for his own life after being struck by an SUV in Riverside recently.

Others remembered Amber's happy smile and sweet personality after she died. "Every life is so precious but when it comes to the life of a child it really just hurts to the core," one mom wrote on Facebook. "I'm just so, so sorry for this family. God be with them."