This memorial website was created in memory of our loved one, Karissa Gates, 16, born on November 7, 1997 and passed away on December 5, 2013. If you would like to watch her memorial video, please click on the Gallery tab then select Video to view it.
Karissa is greatly missed by her friends and especially her family. She fought a long battle to cancer and everyone was devastated when she passed away. She may be gone but she will never be forgotten. She is now in heaven with Lola watching over all of us. We will all cherish the fond memories we have of her as a young child and as a teenager.
We love you our sweet angel Karissa. God bless.
Funeral arrangements:
We are pleased to announce that we have raised enough money in donations to pay for Karissa’s funeral.
Viewing/Rosary Information
The viewing/rosary will be held on Thursday, December 19th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Bishop Mortuary. Please see address below:
Bishop Mortuary
3444 Citrus Street
Lemon Grove, CA 91945
(619) 466-4466
Funeral Mass/Interment Information
The funeral mass will be held on Friday, December 20th at 10:00 am at St. Michael Catholic Church. Please see address below:
St. Michael Catholic Church
2643 Homedale Street
San Diego, CA 92139
Following the service, the interment will be at Holy Cross. Please see address below:
Holy Cross
4470 Hilltop Drive
San Diego, CA 92102
Please wear red and black to the service, those were Karissa’s favorite colors.
Donation Information
We are very thankful we received approximately $845 in donations from various donors. We would like to give a special thank you and acknowledgement to Javid Kazi, his daughter Samra and their family for donating the remaining balance owed to the mortuary. We are forever grateful for all donations but now that we have received the more than generous donation from the Kazi family we can proceed with a service and burial for our sweet Karissa. Javid’s daughter Samra went to high school with Karissa when Karissa lived in Orange County. The girls were friends in school. The Kazi family heard about Karissa’s passing and read her memorial website. They kindly felt the need to provide assistance to Karissa’s family in this difficult time. We are very appreciative that all donors and the Kazi family found it in their hearts to help us. We would also like to give a special thank you to Alyssa and her mom Amanda for helping us with the fundraising efforts by spreading the word to the Kazi family that donations were needed. Everyone has come together to make it possible for us to have the funeral for Karissa that she deserves. Thank you to ALL, we are relieved we can now lay her to rest. God bless you all.
If you recently mailed a donation check, the Bishop Mortuary said they will either put your donation towards the cost of the headstone (which was not included in the original cost of the funeral) or they will mail the check back to you.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me: lauramburnette@gmail.com.
Tributes
Leave a tributeI don't even know where to begin or what to say. You were such a beautiful girl with an amazing personality. I remember when you first moved to aliso I was so interested that their was a new girl. You ended up being so funny and soooo nice and absolutely gorgeous. I remember you and I going to Celeste's house to get ready for Chantal's quince. that car ride their was so fun, from our selfies to just talking. I love you so much. You truly do inspire me. I'm so glad you are in a better place you did not deserve to suffer you did not deserve any of this but god had a plan and he gained a beautiful sweet angel. I just wanna let you know that I am so sorry, I wasn't their for you like I should have been. I have a lot of regret. You moved away and we didn't talk much after that. I'm so sorry just know I never forgot about you. Never. I have missed you& I will continue missing you. I love you. Rest in paradise I will see you soon. Xoxo, Ariana shelby
I love you <3 you were one of the greatest friends I've ever had ! I loved how you were strong and always were your self and never gave a damn what other people said ! Muahhhhh love you
I remember you from along time ago at Aliso Niguel. You were friends with Alyssa and Amaris, when I was dating Amaris. I hope that towards the end of your life, you found the meaning to it. Not only did you find the negativity on earth but the good things aswell. I hope you found your Lord Jesus Christ before you past. I pray that you are reigning forever and ever in eternal peace. Love Matt
https://soundcloud.com/unconsciousthought/christina-rodness-testimony
Karissa,
You have truly changed my life. I had the privilege of getting to know you the past few months and I will forever be changed from the experience I shared with you through your last months of life. Just your presence alone spoke to me. Thank you for changing my view towards life and allowing me to see the beauty and joy through you. Even when you were in pain you were peaceful.
I thank God for you every day, Karissa.
I Carry Your Heart With Me
by E.E. Cummings
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and IT'S YOU ARE WHATEVER A MOON HAS ALWAYS MEANT
AND WHATEVER A SUN WILL ALWAYS SING IS YOU
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
I love you, Karissa.
Rest In Peace
Rest In Peace and soon you will get your wing beautiful Angel
Leave a Tribute
Please be patient.
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
Karissa's Memorial Video
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.
Speech issues and hair extensions
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.