I wrote this song two months ago — but as soon as it was recorded — a female graduate student at ETSU was stuck by a car on a quiet street near my church.

Now, I’d like to dedicate this tune to Halie Rex, who was all about helping others.

Please ask your local politicians how they plan to keep our city safe for walking and bicycling. Our roads are now so overcrowded with cars that we resemble Asheville, with its clogged arteries and bloated roadways keeping everyone from doing their business in a timely manner.

Our lives depend on keeping these officials aware of the needs of our community. 

As we wait for the results of this investigation, please keep Halie’s family in your prayers. Their daughter obviously loved life, and we owe it to her to keep bicyclists and pedestrians as safe as possible going forward.

Testimonials from Halie’s friends and family paint a picture of an extraordinary person who was inspired to learn, grow, and help her community in a multitude of ways. Her absence will leave a void in the lives of those she loved.

Tennessee and National Crash Facts:

• The proportion of severe crashes involving a Vulnerable Road User (VRU) has steadily increased yearly over the last five years. Fatal and serious injury pedestrian and cyclist crashes increased by over 44% and 18%, respectively, from 2018 to 2022. (Tennessee Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment)

• As of 2022, 28.4 percent of the nation’s bicycle deaths occurred at intersections. (US Department of Transportation Traffic Safety Facts)

Suggested solutions to prevent pedestrian deaths:

• Continue to build protected bike lanes and create a pedestrian/cycling network that eliminates gaps and pushes for interconnectivity.

• Collect comprehensive data throughout the entire city that focuses on Vulnerable Road Users.

• Continue to implement traffic calming measures in areas where pedestrians and cyclists have the highest vulnerabilities (I.E. W. Walnut St)

• Implement a Vision Zero plan that aims at eliminating all traffic fatalities and serious injuries while increasing safe, equitable mobility for all roadway users.

Halie Ann Rex Obituary

Halie Ann Rex, age 26, passed away Friday, October 17, 2024. Halie Ann was involved in a motor vehicle accident when the bicycle she was riding was struck by a car on Saturday, October 12, 2024, in Johnson City, TN. She was an organ donor, and her organs were donated to save five lives.

Halie was born in Morristown, TN, on September 7, 1998. She was raised in the tight-knit community of Baneberry, TN. Halie attended White Pine Elementary School K-8 and graduated from Jefferson County High School in 2017. The friendships she made during that time as a student and soccer player were ones she cherished and held close to her heart even when she was thousands of miles away.

After high school, she went on to graduate with her bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga in 2021. After graduating, she continued to work with Parkridge Valley Hospital as a Mental Health Technician. There she worked with children as an educator, mentor, and clinician. She was a bright, adventurous spirit and loved life!

HalieAnn knew she wanted more from life and moved to Salida, Colorado, in 2022 to work as a Youth Crew Leader with the Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC), an organization with a mission to preserve the natural environment while fostering personal development and responsibility. HalieAnn became a talented sawyer and eventually led as a Fire Mitigation Crew Leader. She deeply loved her work, crew, colleagues, and friends in Salida.

HalieAnn was always trying new things. She learned to roller skate and joined a roller derby team, picked up fly fishing, outdoor rock climbing, trail running, and cycling. She climbed 13 mountains over 14,000 feet in the Sawatch Range in Colorado, including Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in the Rockies. She spent warm days boating on the Arkansas River with her friends and nights listening to live music in the park.

Following her service with the SCC, HalieAnn became certified as an English as a second language instructor and accepted a short-term position in Villafranca Tirrena, Sicily, where she taught English to students both young and old. After her time in Villafranca, she spent time in the Valle del Corvo, working on a farm in the Sicilian mountainside before spending Christmas in Ireland with a friend from her time in Colorado.

Her final summer was spent working for the Appalachian Mountain Club in western Massachusetts, where she worked as a Trail Crew Leader developing trails in the northern Appalachian region and along the coast. She fell in love with the region and expressed a desire to settle there one day.

While working for the AMC, she applied for and was accepted into the graduate program for Family and Community Sciences at ETSU. She was also hired as an Outdoor Graduate Assistant. Upon receiving her Master’s Degree, she had plans to continue with conservation and had a passion for helping young adults with behavioral disorders.

HalieAnn woke up every day and asked herself: “Who am I? Why do I exist? What did I learn today?” She did not take life for granted and refused to be complacent with her days on Earth. She lived true to herself. She lived deliberately. Her work was to love the world. So it goes.

A funeral Mass will be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 2518 W Andrew Johnson Hwy, Morristown, TN 37814 on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at 11:00 AM. For those that would like to participate, the family will be doing the Rosary at 9:30 AM and receiving friends from 10:00-11:00 AM. Interment will follow the service at the St. Patrick’s Wall of Remembrance.

A Celebration of Life will be immediately following interment at the home of Steve and Julie Rex, 340 Back Nine Dr, Baneberry, TN.

Halie was preceded in death by her grandfather, Robert “Bob” Stevens. She leaves behind her grandmothers, Sally Stevens, Jody Kyce, and Mary Rex; her grandfather, Jerry Rex. She also leaves behind her mother, Julie Rex; her father, Steve Rex; her beloved brother, Jacob Rex; and half-sister, CharleeAnn Barton. HalieAnn’s aunts, uncles, and cousins are too many to mention, but all will deeply miss her and hearing about her latest adventures.

The Southwest Conservation Corps was pivotal in HalieAnn’s life. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a branch of the Conservation Corps. Your donations go directly to improving the wild areas HalieAnn treasured and giving the opportunity for growth and challenge to young people.

Donate today at:
https://conservationlegacy.networkforgood.com/projects/91550-main-giving-page

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