Accident in Lee’s Summit ended a teenage life filled with dreams

Nathan Giron had many plans after his high school graduation this spring, his parents said.

He expected to join a church mission trip to Nicaragua.

He hoped to move to Colorado with friends. He ultimately wanted to be a carpenter.

“Nathan loved working with his hands,” his parents, Lynn and Russell Giron, said Wednesday.

Giron, an 18-year-old senior at Lee’s Summit West High School, died Monday in a traffic accident.

Courtney Tanner Rardin, 18, who graduated from Lee’s Summit West last year, died in the same accident, near Southwest Pryor Road and Longview Road.

Rardin and Giron were passengers in a vehicle driven by Collin Carter, 18, also a student at Lee’s Summit West. He was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Police had no update on his condition Wednesday.

A driver in a second car in the collision suffered minor injuries.

Giron had many interests, his parents said.

He had received a black belt in taekwondo and the Life rank with the Boy Scouts. He had received Warrior status in the Tribe of Mic-O-Say, a Scouting honor program.

He also had planned to go on a mission trip this summer to Nicaragua with other members of Lee’s Summit United Methodist Church.

“I had done mission trips before and I wanted to take him with me, but I waited,” Lynn Giron said.

“And then this Chrismas he just said, ‘I’m ready to go on the mission trip with you.’ He decided he was ready to make that contribution.”

After that, Giron planned to move to Colorado with two friends, including Rardin. He eventually wanted to complete an apprenticeship as a carpenter. He already had been enrolled at Herndon Career Center in Raytown, his mother said.

He also loved dogs, she added.

“We had a lab mix for 12 years and that dog passed away,’ she said. “Then, three years ago, we got two basset hound-beagle mixes called Kacey and Chief.

“He slept with them.”

A memorial service for Giron will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Lee’s Summit United Methodist Church.

“Nathan left a wonderful impression with many people in his life,” the Girons said in an email to The Star on Wednesday. “He had a zest for life and loved spending time with his family and friends. He had a great sense of humor and a really big heart.

“He always wanted to share what he had and make others feel special.”

Giron’s parents also expressed condolences to Rardin’s family, as well as support for Carter’s family.

“The bond and friendship was very strong and special with the three in the accident and several others who are mourning their loss,” they said.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Accident in Lee’s Summit ended a teenage life filled with dreams."