My name is Kim and I am one of Karissa's Godmothers. I first met Karissa's Mother at Edison Elementary when Karissa was 2, her oldest sister Asha and my son Daniel were in the same Kindergarten class. I started picking Asha up every morning and dropping her off after school everyday. I only lived right down the street from them. Lola and I became really good friends and my family and I started going over there for every birthday party and Christmas. I remember Karissa being just a little shy when I first met her but that only lasted for a minute. She was extremely smart, all the girls were, Lola worked with them every day. Lola always called Karissa my birthday girl, because her birthday was just 7 days before mine. Karissa was always so tiny but she had a giant personality, she was always singing and dancing and she was always smiling, losing her 2 front teeth couldn't even stop her from smiling from ear to ear. She was very picky about what she ate, my Husband and I took her out to dinner for her birthday one time and told her she could pick anything she wanted, well she ended up getting just macaroni and cheese and then she only took like 2 bites of it, but we had fun and it made her feel special. The day I stood up in church and agreed to be Karissa's Godmother was one of the proudest days of my life, I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful and special little girl to call my Goddaughter. She was becoming a very beautiful young woman and it's sad to know that I we will never get to see what she might have become. It comforts me a little knowing that Lola was there waiting for her and that they are together again. It also comforts me to know that she was back with her sisters and her Dad (Robert) and that she was happier then I think she has ever been. I miss her greatly but I will always think of her and she will forever be in my heart.   Love you Karissa
                                                                                                                                                

This memorial video was played at Karissa's viewing. We gathered as many pictures/videos as we could of Karissa to show all the joy she shared in life with her friends and family. Each song that was chosen has a meaning. Wind Beneath My Wings was Karissa's grandmother's favorite song. Her grandmother passed away a couple years ago and Karissa would play Wind Beneath My Wings to remind her of her grandmother. The songs Heaven (Candlelight Mix) and The Funeral were chosen because Karissa liked both of those songs and I Will Always Love You was chosen because we will all always love Karissa.

For those of you who were not able to attend the viewing or if you did attend and you would like to see the video again, please watch it and enjoy the fond memories we have of Karissa.   
   

Well by now you all know I'm Karissa's Father, Rob Thomas. I, of course, am not her Biological Father, but I have been her Father in every other way. I was separated from her Mother when she was born and didn't meet her until she was 2 or 3 years old. I think back on our first time meeting and it is still a magical moment for me. She kept hearing her sisters call me "Daddy" so she decided to call me that as well. The funny thing was she wasn't that good at saying it, so she would call me "Da'Yee".... Hahaha! Hey, it was close enough for me. After a time we became separated for several years as I had separated from her Mother and her sisters eventually came to live with me. Karissa and her sisters kept contact, though very sporadically, for several years until she went to live with Laura and Charlie. Karissa and my daughter's Cousin Marissa had reconnected with my daughter's and surprised them at my younger daughter Iyana's birthday party at the beach by showing up with Karissa as well as their Aunt Erica who they love to no end. It was a great and incredibly emotional reunion, there were tears from everyone there. As time went by and a great many skypes, phone calls and texts later, Laura and Charlie called me and we discussed Karissa's desire to live with her sisters and myself. I am a single Father and bringing in another child to take care of would've been difficult. So I had to think about it... a nanosecond later I told Laura and Charlie OF COURSE!! So we worked out a time and the next thing you know Karissa is in the car with us. One big happy family on the way home. I must thank Charlie and Laura for making this happen for Riss as well as for my Family. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why my title has "hair extensions" in it. Well to sum it up, Karissa was a pretty impatient and stubborn person (Genius's usually are), and she didn't want to wait until her hair grew out to have long hair, so I assume at some point someone had bought her some extensions. I am bald and a man so I knew nothing of hair extensions so one daaaaay.... I wait for Riss to get out of the bathroom after showering and go in to relieve myself (I went number one, don't be gross). All my girls have a bad habit of not closing the shower curtain so I turn to do it myself, and I swear I got attacked by what I thought was a hairy baby Dragon!!! It was wet and it wouldn't come off of my hand so I ran screaming out of the bathroom just as Riss comes out of her room and says "Hey Dad, what're you doing, that's my hair"! Mortified... I was mortified. I'm screaming like a girl over hair!?! Suffice to say Riss and her sisters had a great laugh at their Dad's expense and it was all downhill from there! This is just one of the great moments I had with my amazing little girl. Her presence missing from our home has left it a little darker, but her Light will always shine in our hearts. 

Hi, I am Karissa’s Gates aunt, Erica Gates. I have so many fond memories of Karissa and we all miss her so much!

My first memory was when she was born. I remember being in the delivery room with her Lola (Grandma.) Once Karissa was delivered, I had the honor of cutting her umbilical cord. I was scared at first, but Lola, Karissa’s mom, and the nurse told me it would be ok. I am so happy I did because I will always cherish that special day. When the nurse weighed Karissa, she was not quite 5lbs. At that time babies had to be at least 5lbs before they were discharged from the hospital. The nurse thought if she re-weighed Karissa with a hat, that would help. Although, I cannot recall if Karissa reached 5lbs, I do know that she didn’t stay in the hospital long.

As a young child growing up she was attached to her Lola. I remember one day we were all having dinner and Karissa would not let me sit in “Her” seat. There were not enough chairs so I had to sit on the couch. I look back and remember how stubborn she was and it makes me laugh. Lola always had an excuse when she did something wrong. One day Lola referred to Karissa  as “only a baby” and cousin Marissa would say “Lola, she’s 4 years old.” Lola loved Karissa so much.

Around age 4 or 5 we started spending a lot  more time with Karissa and grew very close. She spent almost every Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday with my family as well as a week or two in the Summer.

Whenever we would take her clothes shopping I dreaded it! Not because I didn’t want to spend time with her but because she took hours upon hours  to decide what she wanted. Everything I suggested, she didn’t like. We went store to store searching for something she liked. Finally I would tell her it was time to go home and miraculously she would find something.

We were also able to take Karissa to Disneyland for the very first time. My mom and I surprised Karissa and Marissa. I pretended like I made a wrong turn into the Disneyland parking lot and asked them how we were going to exit? They both looked shocked and kept looking around confused. Finally I told them we were going to Disneyland and they were both excited! Karissa had the biggest smile on her face with her two front teeth missing. We all had a great time.

Karissa was such a happy child, teen and young woman. She loved to dance and sing and was not shy about it. Karissa did not like conflict and wanted to be friends with everyone.

We all love and miss Karissa very much. I will always remember her beautiful smile and laugh. She is in Heaven now with Lola watching over us. God bless you angel!

Karissa and I used to enjoy going shopping together. I remember I took her shopping with me one time when she was younger; I can’t recall how old she was. She must have been around 6 or 7 years old and I must have been in my early twenties. We went to Kohls to pick up a few items. We picked out a couple outfits for her and I found a purse that I thought was cute at the time. It was silver, small and had sparkly silver sequences all over it. Karissa and I had finished our shopping and went to the register to check out. The sales associate was a young man. He started ringing up her items and then reached for the purse I had picked out. As he picks it up Karissa shouts out in her loud cute little voice, “That’s for the club!!! That’s for when my auntie goes to the club.” For some reason I was so embarrassed, I started to laugh and Karissa was laughing too. I guess I didn’t want everyone in the Kohl’s checkout line to know that I liked to go to nightclubs at the time.  I didn’t even know Karissa knew what a club was especially at that age. Karissa, the sales associate at Kohl’s and I got a good chuckle out of it. This is just one of many cute memories I have of Karissa and it’s an example of how she could always put a smile on my face. I miss her.