The Kirkland community is mourning Sheila Stanton, who died after an elderly driver crashed through the front of a Grocery Outlet in the Bridle Trails neighbourhood on Sunday afternoon.
The incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. at 6625 132nd Avenue Northeast, seriously injuring four people including a child and the elderly driver. Stanton was grocery shopping with a friend when the vehicle ploughed through the store’s entrance. She died whilst being transported to hospital.
The store remains closed indefinitely as restoration crews repair structural damage from the crash. Authorities have not released details about what caused the elderly driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Local residents expressed shock at the tragedy occurring during routine weekend activities. “You wouldn’t expect nothing like that to happen, not just grocery shopping,” said Cassandra Blaine, who was shopping in the area.
Jim Papadem visited the scene after learning of the crash. “My daughter was in earlier in the day, the next thing we knew, this had taken place,” he said.
Stanton was remembered as a devoted member of St. John’s Episcopal Church, where she dedicated herself to community service. Father Michael Ryan described her extraordinary commitment to welcoming others and building connections within the congregation.
“She had such a heart to be of loving service to everybody she encountered, and her life embodied that,” Ryan said. “Wherever Sheila was, she formed community.”
Ryan shared that Stanton regularly helped host community dinners at the church for those in need, often inviting strangers she had just met that day. She had participated in a community meal with fellow church members the day before the accident.
“If you can imagine a table that we’re all sitting around, Sheila was always the one to make sure there was a place open for the next person that walked through the door,” Ryan explained. “And that’s who Sheila was, that was her superpower. It really was a bridge builder.”
The priest emphasised Stanton’s compassionate nature, suggesting she would have extended grace even to the driver responsible for the accident. “Sheila would have been one of the first ones to reach out and say, ‘I know your life has been changed forever, and I just want you to know that you’re not an outcast because this happened,'” Ryan reflected.
The tragedy highlights the devastating impact of vehicle-into-building accidents, which can occur without warning and transform routine activities into life-altering events. The community continues processing the loss of someone described as a natural connector who made everyone feel welcome.
Authorities continue investigating the circumstances that led to the crash, whilst the community focuses on remembering Stanton’s legacy of service and inclusivity.
