Rotorua crash victim: Father grieves loss of son Tray Dee Wall

Tray Dee Wall is being mourned by his family after he died in a crash near Rotorua on Monday, December 9. Photo / Supplied

• A crash near Rotorua on December 9 claimed four lives, including Tray Dee Wall, 20.
• Wall, a passionate boxer, was remembered at his tangi at Te Rangiita marae in Taupō.
• His father David Wall thanked the community for their support during the family’s time of grief.

Another family is grieving the loss of a son to a crash near Rotorua, telling the Herald of their community-minded and “passionate young man”.

Seven people were in the two vehicles involved in the crash on State Highway 5 in Whakarewarewa on Monday, December 9.

Three people died at the scene of the crash and another died in hospital after having been transported in a critical condition.

Tray Dee Wall, 20, died alongside Ruben Stockdale-Frost, 18, Amelia Stockdale Lamont, 26 - a mother of two young daughters - while Dante Lamont was left fighting for his life. Mary Jane Heke, 50, who was in the second car, also died.

“Me and my wife don’t really know what to say or do,” father David Wall told the Herald.

“But we loved our son.”

Tray Dee Wall’s tangi was held at Te Rangiita marae in Taupō on Sunday, just over a week after the crash. He was buried at Nukuhau Urupā, David Wall said.

A notice for his tangi described Tray Dee as a “loving big brother”.

“Rest in eternal love and peace. You will be dearly missed by all your family and friends. Kia au to moe e te taonga o te mate,” it read.

Tray Dee Wall had been a member of the Rotovegas Boxing & Fitness Gym since 2012. Photo / Supplied

Wall, self-described as a private person, said his son was extremely passionate about boxing, having been a member of the Rotovegas Boxing & Fitness Gym.

He also had an immense passion for his family and his friends, Wall said.

Wall thanked those supporting him and his wife through their grief, paying mention to teachers and coaches.

“We would like to thank everyone for their love, support, koha, and kind thoughts and messages – we really appreciate it,” he said.

His son started training at the Rotovegas Boxing & Fitness Gym in 2012 when he was 8 years old.

Tray Dee had made the news on several occasions, featuring in articles in the Rotorua Daily Post: once in 2014 for the inspiration he instilled in others training at the gym while overcoming the challenges of his disability, and again for raising awareness around family violence and child abuse.

Siblings mourned

Mother of two Amelia Stockdale Lamont, of Napier, was named by her widower and in a funeral notice as one of the victims of the crash.

“My children, our extended whānau and I are crushed to lose our precious love,” husband Josiah Lamont said.

“My girl is dancing among heaven’s flowers.”

Ruben Stockdale-Frost, 18, and his sister Amelia Stockdale Lamont, 26, both of Napier, died after a crash on SH5 near Rotorua on Monday, December 9. Photos / Supplied

Her brother Ruben Stockdale-Frost, also of Napier, was also killed in the crash, the notice read.

Lamont described Stockdale-Frost as “one of the greatest young men I’ve ever known”.

Victim a ‘friend to many’

Mary-Jane Heke, 50, was the first person to be publicly identified as a victim, with her family remembering her as a beloved grandmother and “friend to many”.

Heke, also known as Mere, leaves behind five children and a grandchild and was set to celebrate her 51st birthday on December 29.

Others paid tribute to Heke, saying she was “such a beautiful soul” and that she was “gone but not forgotten”.

Another family member said “tears from my eyes keep on falling”.

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