GoFundMe for lightning strike victim Kaitlyn Rosensteel reaches $20K goal
An online fundraising tool created to help cover the funeral expenses of one of two lightning strike victims killed Thursday at Mammoth Park lake in Mt. Pleasant Township topped its $20,000 goal.
More than $20,000 had been pledged from more than 380 GoFundMe donors since Friday to help pay for the funeral of Kaitlyn E. “Moe” Rosensteel, 18, of Donora, who was struck and killed by lightning at 4 p.m. while fishing at the park with her friend, Brendan A. McGowan, 18, of North Huntingdon.
After surpassing the $10,000 goal, a new goal was set at $20,000.
“Moe was enjoying her first week off of school, graduating just recently, at Mammoth Park in Mount Pleasant,” according to the GoFundMe page.
Rosensteel was the daughter of Shelley and Ed Rosensteel, both of whom work at Monongahela Valley Hospital in Carroll Township.
The GoFundMe page was created Friday by Nicolette Altemara and Sherry Watkins, hospital co-workers of the Rosensteels.
“Working in a community hospital like Monongahela Valley Hospital, you bond and become like family. Ed and Shelley live their lives helping others and as part of their work family, we felt that it was important to help them,” Altemara said.
“We never thought that we would raise this much money and are overwhelmed by the outpouring love and support from everyone,” Altemara said.
An autopsy was conducted Friday to determine the cause and manner of death. The coroner’s office did not release information as of 10:45 p.m. on the results, but the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office stated earlier that the injuries they suffered were consistent with being hit by lightning.
The two teenagers were found below a large, splintered tree, the coroner’s office stated.
Rosensteel had recently graduated from Ringgold High School near Monongahela, and McGowan was a graduate of Greensburg Central Catholic High School in Hempfield.
The Anthony L. Massafra Funeral Home, 40 Second St. Ext., Donora, is handling Rosensteel’s funeral arrangements.
Family and friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Our Lady of the Valley, One Park Road, Donora.
Information on funeral arrangements for McGowan was not available Friday night.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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