In tribute: Couple was 'made for each other'

CLOVIS - Those who knew Corey and Tara McKenna said they wouldn't want people to grieve over their deaths, but to celebrate their lives and their memories.

Still, it's hard not to feel for the sudden loss last weekend of the married couple and parents of two, high school sweethearts who died on a sunny Saturday afternoon in a car wreck in Clovis.

Police last week said the investigation of the March 10 two-vehicle crash would still be ongoing "a while," waiting on information from the Office of the Medical Investigator. The other driver was treated and released from the local hospital, while officers stayed on scene about three hours near the intersection of 21st and Sycamore streets.

The two children, boys aged 10 and 12, are staying in town with their grandmother. Raymond McKenna, their grandfather, said it was a "blessing" that they at least had spring break to be away from school in the immediate aftermath. Memorial services for their parents are next weekend.

"They were a perfect match," Raymond McKenna said of Tara and his son Corey, both 32, who met in high school and married in April 2016. "They were made for each other."

Natasha Hawkins said she knew both since childhood, but bonded most with Tara during their shared freshman year together at New Mexico State University. They shared car rides between home and Las Cruces, where they enjoyed the beauty of the mountains.

"It's been so long," Hawkins said. "I know that she always had a laugh, always had a smile, always made everybody happy."

With that temperament, it wasn't surprising to Hawkins when she realized after college that Tara and Corey were together. The latter was widely remembered by friends and coworkers for an infectious laugh and high spirits.

"It would bring so much joy to your heart to hear him laugh," said Brannon Luscombe, a friend since high school. "And Tara was a sweetheart. That is like the definition of true love."

Luscombe said he got closer with Corey when they worked together at a call center shortly after graduation. They soon started in together on a video game group, he said, playing Call of Duty online and talking until the early hours of the next morning.

Support in many forms

An affinity for computers was a lifelong hobby and later a livelihood for Corey McKenna.

"He's always been a gamer and good with computers," recalled Shirea Wade, who was in a tight-knit high school group of some dozen friends with him.

"We had nothing but good times," she wrote in a message to The News. "Lots of amazing memories I will hold close to my heart."

Wade said she was motivated to organize some fundraisers last week at local businesses, proceeds of which will go to the family. Meanwhile, an online fundraiser started Monday brought in over $5,000 in five days.

Corey "was always a wonderful help," and could be counted on for "the best bear hugs" in addition to technical support, said his sister.

"He could do more at 10 with an (outdated) computer and dial up connection than I can do now with a high powered gaming computer and lightning fast connection," Shannon Grosch wrote in a message to The News. "He always was tech support for our mom, Tara's mom and Grandma and even my dad."

He would go on to be tech support for more than his family, working for the past year or two as a systems engineer and information technology director for Roosevelt General Hospital.

RGH's CEO Kaye Green supplied this statement Friday to The News:

"Our organization is deeply saddened and mourning the loss of Corey and his wife Tara. Corey had a wonderfully warm and caring personality and was such a family man. He was a bright spirit and we will truly miss him."

His coworkers were effusive in reflections on their late colleague and his family.

"Corey wasn't just our IT guy at work, he quickly became a key role to our RGH family," wrote Whitney Haragan. "We were all blessed to know Corey for the short time that we did."

Shelly Adkison said he was "an amazing person inside and out," and "blessed with a kind, caring, and absolutely silly soul."

Sonia Guizar said she felt like she lost a brother last weekend.

"When I found out, my heart truly hurt. It was such a profound pain knowing that you were never going to see one of the best friends you've encountered again," she said. "It's hard when people give their condolences. It's just a reminder of what the hard reality is."

But Guizar stressed that the couple would much sooner be remembered for the joy they brought to life and their love for their children.

"He could have the weight of the world on his shoulders, but he was always there with a smile on his face," she said Thursday. "He was caring, he was nice, he was very protective and he was always there. He always knew what to say and when to say it."

A legacy

Their loved ones said there was nothing more important to Corey and Tara than their children, and "they did a beautiful job raising their kiddos," wrote his sister. Corey Jr. was put into accelerated classes at school, and Johnny Ray likes to play games with his grandmother, both taking after their parents.

Some other details: Corey was an avid glass-blowing hobbyist, said his father. Tara "loved to bake and spoil her kiddos," Grosch wrote. They lived in San Antonio for a few years and were big fans of the Spurs. Some knew Corey by the nickname "Corndog."

These are some but nowhere close to all the smaller details by which a life is made and perhaps best remembered. As Luscombe remarked, reflecting on what Corey and Tara might wish after their passing: "They would want nothing more than smiles and happiness."