On Nov. 14, 2020, Shelby resident and Ashland University student Alexa Robinson passed away unexpectedly after a tragic accident. Alexa was majoring in biology and was set to graduate this May.

Although her life was unfortunately cut short, Alexa’s friends and family can attest that she continuously lived her life to the fullest and always tried to be as present as possible. Her older brother, Alec Broderick, reflected on his sister’s memory.

“My sister was the brightest person I’ve ever known,” he said. “Not only was she smart, and she was very smart, she had a glow around her that everyone she knew felt and was always aware of. The positive energy that she radiated soaked into the people around her and she just made any gathering, event or activity more fun by being there.”

Alexa’s aunt, Janell Kershner, knew that her niece was a special person to have in her life and she didn’t once take it for granted.

“Her mom and dad raised her to be adventurous, caring, and to live life to the fullest and she did,” Janell said. “She had the biggest heart and her laugh would always echo throughout any room that she was in. A lot of times you don’t know how special someone is until they’re gone, but with Alexa we all knew she was special even from the beginning. Her beauty, talent and the way she loved life was incredible to witness.”

Alexa’s constant happiness and willingness to be there for the people in her life was one of the things that her mother, Monica Robinson, loved about her.

“Alexa was my best friend,” Monica said. “She was my sunshine. She was my everything. She was the daughter that everyone wanted. Lexi was always happy. She always brought out the best in everyone. Alexa, her best trait was her kindness. She was kind to everyone and always looked out for the underdog. Even when she was a baby when I would wake her up in her crib she’d be bouncing, smiling, always happy.”

Even further attesting to her never-ending compassion and caring nature, her aunt Julie Miller shared a story that demonstrates Alexa displaying those qualities in full force.

“Just a few short months before she passed away, my nephew got married and my son took a date, and this would be the first time this girl would be around my family,” Julie said. “My son was part of the wedding so it kind of left his date alone. Lexi took it upon herself to include this girl in everything that she did that night. She danced with her and they took pictures together. I remember looking over and they’d be in conversation and laughing and she just made sure that girl felt comfortable the whole night. I was so thankful for that, but that’s just the kind of thing that Lexi would do. She was loving and she was silly and she was definitely somebody you always wanted to be around.”

From the words that her family and friends shared, it seemed there was never a dull moment in Alexa’s life. Whether it was spending time with family and friends, playing with her dogs, working at Texas Roadhouse, participating in dance or going on a new adventure, Alexa never wanted to miss out on anything.

“She lived her life to the absolute fullest and she would always say, ‘I have such bad fomo,’” said Ashley Hollinger, a close friend of Alexa. “She didn’t want to miss out doing anything. She would tell me that she had three different people ask her to do stuff and she never knew what to do because she just wanted to do all of it at the same time. She always wanted to be there doing things she loved the most.”

Just about every person in Alexa’s life has almost nothing but fond memories with her. Amanda Sorgenfrei, the mother of Alexa’s childhood friend Raychel, has cherished knowing Alexa since she was just 10 years old.

“Alexa did life 100 percent. She was always having fun, she was always the life of the party, she was always working on those grades. Alexa put everything that she had in every detail of her life. She was just absolutely amazing.”

Grieving and loss is a difficult process for any family, but the individuals that Alexa surrounded herself with throughout her life are now able to carry on with her memory and can recount how special she truly was to them.

“Lexi’s best saying and most favorite saying to me when I would say, ‘Lexi, make good decisions,’ and she’d say, ‘mom, YOLO,’” said her mother Monica. “And that’s how I’ll remember her. She’d live life to the fullest and never wasted a moment. She traveled all over the world. She loved life, and the world got a lot darker when Lexi left.”