South county mourns loss of teen

Jessica Leigh Elder died July 23 near North Plains after a motorcycle crash

By David Holley

The South County Spotlight, Jul 24, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Jessica Leigh Elder – was riding with her sister’s boyfriend on a 2006 Kawasaki motorcycle when it crashed on West Union Road near North Plains.

Submitted photo

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All day July 22, Jessica Elder and Ally Bonner sent text messages back and forth, talking about how excited they were for their upcoming senior year at St. Helens High School.

Just 24-hours later, their dreams were shattered.

Elder, a 17-year-old Warren resident, died Thursday afternoon after crashing into a pick-up truck while riding on a motorcycle near North Plains.

Bonner’s voice quivered as she considered the loss of Elder, her best friend. Elder was happy and strong, kind and considerate, Bonner said.

“She always had a smile on her face,” the 17-year-old Bonner said during a phone interview from Stanford, Calif., where she is spending the summer studying. “She was always nice to anybody.”

And Elder was involved in her school and community, too. In her junior year at St. Helens, Elder swung between JV and varsity for the volleyball team, made it to state for swimming, and participated in relay, pole vault and high jump for the track team.

Recently, however, Elder and Bonner had joined the dance team to further pursue a passion they both had since they met when they were sixth graders. The teens also performed in a hip-hop dance group, called Kajann B, with a few other friends.

Kajann B is an acronym of each girl’s first name. In memory of Elder, the group decided to change the name to Ka*j*ann B.

On top of all of her activities, Elder also worked at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Hillsboro. She worked there with her sister’s fiancé, 28-year-old Leonid “Leo” Brodsky, of Hillsboro, who was operating the motorcycle when it crashed.

Elder was visiting her sister, Ashlee Elder, at Ashlee’s home on July 23 when she mentioned to Brodsky that she’d never ridden on a motorcycle.

Elder and Brodsky jumped on Brodsky’s 2006 Kawasaki and went for a joy ride, according to Elder’s boyfriend, Ryan Gainer, 17.

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