Editor’s note: The following letter was submitted to the Register by Bianca, John and Jean-Paul Zimmermann, the Napa family that lost Veronica Zimmermann, 17, in a car accident on First Avenue in Napa on Oct. 26.

To all of our friends, old and new...

Words cannot possibly express our gratitude to all of you — for the unlimited generosity, caring and love that you have bestowed upon our family these past very, very long weeks. You helped to make our lives worth living. Veronica’s beacon of light has obviously penetrated far deeper than we ever would have imagined!

We are indebted to Msgr. Joseph Alzugaray of St. Apollinaris Catholic Church for his comforting and inspirational words and for the beautiful Mass celebrating Veronica’s passing on to her heavenly reward to the arms of God, who will hold and protect her forever. He obviously needed her more by his side than we did.

She was with her good friends when she died, likely smiling and laughing, as was her habit. How wonderful it would be if we could all choose that way to pass — immediate, painless and without suffering, in the company of those we love.

What is to come of this tragedy? Hopefully, it will serve to bring our community closer in God’s name. We must allow only good to be derived from this. There should be no room for negativity in this world. No blame must be placed.

It was an unfortunate accident, period. We must reach out to those other beautiful young people who were involved, and to all of those so profoundly affected by our loss, and embrace them and help them to heal. Veronica would have wanted it that way.

To the youth of our community: We say thank you for supporting our son Jean-Paul, and for supporting us. We also thank you for the incredible memorial at the site of her accident and for the wonderful service in Veronica’s memory at Justin-Siena High School. Your efforts will be forever appreciated. The memories will be a continual source of rejuvenation of our spirit.

Many of you have suffered unfairly these past few years, losing classmates and loved ones, including Veronica, seemingly prematurely. We have been witness to your grief. It isn’t fair. You should be focusing on positive things, not tragedies, at this time of your lives.

We are incredibly proud of Veronica: For her caring for others, for her talent for cultivating friendships, and for her sowing the seeds of happiness wherever she ventured.

To all of you, I say please learn from Veronica’s legacy: the truly important thing in our lives is our relationships with others. We must give, not simply receive. Please reach out, as Veronica did, to all of those around you, despite your differences. Let everyone know that you genuinely care for them, and that you will be there for them in their time of need. It may seem awkward and difficult at first, but keep trying and it will become easier and easier.

Unbridled enthusiasm, energy and vitality are an intrinsic part of your youth. Unfortunately, so is your sense of being indestructible. Please be careful, be safe and spare your loved ones the anguish of loss that our family is suffering.

Getting to know you these past 17 1/2 years has been an incredible gift to us. This gift has been magnified over the past few days.

Most of you are mature far beyond your years, with a depth of character, compassion and caring to match. You could give lessons to many adults. We are so very proud of you. Knowing all of you as we do, we are supremely confident that our future is in incredibly good hands.

We love you all.

“Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven, where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us, to let us know they are happy.”

The Veronica Zimmermann Memorial Scholarship at Justin-Siena High School has been established. To make contributions, contact Justin-Siena High School or Westamerica Bank, 1 Financial Plaza, Napa, CA 94558.