Special Memorial Held For 20-year-old Killed In Helicopter Crash

By Chris Wright, The News On 6

TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma -- Family and friends gathered Sunday to remember a life lost too soon. Darci Scraper, 20, was killed in October when the helicopter she was in crashed near Tahlequah.

It's been nearly two months since the crash, but Darci's family felt they still had not said a proper goodbye to her, until her memorial Sunday.

The field where Darci Scraper and 26-year-old pilot Mark Mahaney were killed is in a remote area near Tahlequah. It took investigators two days to find the wreckage, but that did not stop several dozen friends and family from attending Sunday's memorial.

"It's not easy getting out here. A bunch of people came out, and these are the people we want to have around, and it just shows you how special she was and how many people she touched," said Michael Fields, Darci's boyfriend.

"I know she's watching us too, and she's really happy about that. It means a lot to us," said Darci's sister Heather Goodrich.

Adorned in pink, Darci's favorite color, they said a prayer, laid a memorial, and reminisced about the 20-year-old NSU student. Her mother, who organized the event, said the funeral happened so fast, she felt her daughter deserved a better goodbye.

"I just want them to know that Darci was loved by a lot of people, had a lot of friends and had her whole life ahead of her," said Kristene Scraper, Darci's Mother.

On the spot where her life was cut short, the mourners released doves and then pink balloons. Darci was majoring in business administration and wanted to run her own business someday.

"She loved her family and her friends, and life itself," Darci's mother said.

Investigators say the helicopter had taken off from a private home on the morning of October 14. A relative of Scrapers filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the pilot, as well as the aircraft manufacturer.