Family and friends remember Scott City sophomore at visitation

Derek Bridges remembers when Amber Kaufmann would visit the convenience store where he worked, and the two would play baseball using a plunger for the bat.

Or when she and her friends would go cruising, and how they couldn't have a conversation with her because she was too busy singing loudly. She was always up for anything, they said, whether it be eating at White Castle at midnight or playing "Guitar Hero."

Amber was fearless, energetic, fun-loving and, above all, caring, they said.

"I love her. What can you say when she's everything?" said her father, Charles Kaufmann.

The 16-year-old Scott City High School sophomore died Monday. The cause of death is still unknown, but Charles Kaufmann said he suspects Long Q-T syndrome may have caused her heart to "misfire." The disorder affects the heart's electrical rhythm.

Amber had been drinking Red Bull and was on a common antibiotic called Zithromax when she collapsed last week, her father said. She was transported to St. Louis Children's Hospital, where she later died. Friends and family paid their respects to Amber at a visitation Thursday.

Despite the heavy rain, a steady stream of visitors arrived. The parking lot at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Scott City was full, and the visitation line stretched nearly the length of the church most of the night. More than 50 large floral arrangements were spread throughout the church.

A video playing the song "One More Day" by Diamond Rio showed pictures of Amber at basketball games, with friends at a pool party, and smiling for her class picture. Posters with photos also filled the entryway, and friends signed the border of an enlarged, framed photo.

"She never met a stranger. She'd give her last dollar to whoever needed it," said Teri Collins, Amber's mother, who described Amber as funny, smart and "not shy one bit."

"Amber was my best friend. It was just her and I; her brother and sister were in the military. She was there for me," she said.

"I could have been around her forever and not get tired of her. She's a blast," said Tim Long, her boyfriend. He wore one of Amber's rings on a chain around his neck.

Charles Kaufmann said Amber was "always in everybody's business, but that's a good thing. She was always there for everyone."

Amber was an avid bowler, and one of her best scores was in the 270s, said her best friend, Harley Markhart, who was on a youth bowling league with Amber.

"She could be friends with anybody. She talked to anyone no matter who they were," said Dylan Cherry, who was also in the bowling league.

Amber played volleyball and at school was a member of the track team, Pep Club and FCCLA. She also worked at West Park Lanes in Cape Girardeau and the Ice Cream Store in Scott City. She had planned on entering the Navy upon graduation, Bridges said.

Her giving nature continues because her kidneys and her liver were donated, Charles Kaufmann said. "She would go out of her way to make someone feel better," he said.

The funeral is at 11 a.m. today at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Scott City, with burial following at Lightner Memorial Cemetery in Scott City.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123