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"She loved everybody" | Waxhaw mother shares memories of Coast Guard Ensn. Morgan Garrett following plane crash

Ensn. Morgan Garrett, a Waxhaw native, and 2015 Weddington High School graduate died Friday after her training plane crashed in Alabama.

WEDDINGTON, N.C. — The mother of Coast Guard Ensn. Morgan Garrett, a Waxhaw native who died when her training plane crashed in an Alabama neighborhood, thanked the community for the support her family received following her daughter's death.

Jennifer Garrett has been meeting with her daughter's fellow Coast Guard officers in Pensacola, Florida, while the Navy continued its investigation into Friday's plane crash.

"I knew my daughter was special, but I had no idea how special she was," Garrett said about the community support. "It's what's getting me through."

She said she was struck by how many people described her daughter's smile as one which could light up a room.

"She loved everybody," Jennifer Garrett said. "She included everybody."

Morgan Garrett babysat Grace Manning, 16, growing up, and Manning watched her babysitter's passion for flying take off.

"Seeing her pursue that really spoke to me," Manning said. "I thought if she could do it, then, like, it'd be cool if I did too."

Jennifer Garrett planned to always carry her daughter's memory in her heart.

"One would thing I would like to also say to parents is hold and love your kids," Jennifer Garett said. "Hug them, hug them a little tighter and hug them often."

She said there will be a memorial service in Union County, but a date hasn't been set yet.

RELATED: Weddington High mourns death of Coast Guard officer in Alabama plane crash

On Monday, the Navy grounded all non-deployed planes to conduct a one-day safety review.

The crash also killed U.S. Navy Lt. Rhiannon Ross, who was serving as an instructor pilot.

No cause for the crash has been released.

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