‘She had brains, beauty and she was kind’: QEW crash victim, Hamilton resident Carly Charlebois truly cared about people

Carly Charlebois had a larger-than-life personality, a knack for fashion, and a way of making everyone around her feel special, according to those who knew her best.

Carly loved and was so loved by so many friends," said her mother, Cheryl Lewis. If anyone had the opportunity to meet her, she would have touched their lives."

She was beautiful, inside and out," said brother Chase Charlebois.

On June 16, Carly's life was tragically cut short at age 20, when her disabled vehicle was struck from behind on the QEW and Cawthra Road.

A lifelong Hamilton resident, Carly attended St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School and Fanshawe College. She had recently started a part-time job at Cabana Poolbar in Toronto, which was right up her alley, noted family friend Jennifer Watson.

She looked like a million dollars," said Watson. She had brains, beauty and she was kind. She truly cared about people, and she made you feel that way."

Watson noted Carly was also interested in a career in real estate.

She would have been the kind of real estate agent who would have ended up on Selling Sunset,' or something like that. She would have been dressed to the nines. She was going to be somebody, and we knew that."

Growing up, Carly was very strong-willed, Lewis recalled.

Carly had lots of friends and liked to walk to the store to get Pixie Sticks and Ring Pops as a young girl. She would also wake up early on weekends to watch her brother play hockey.

She absolutely loved and adored her brother, Chase," said Lewis.

Carly was also loved and adored by everyone else in her family, including her dad, Jayson Charlebois, who would affectionately call her Bella, her grandparents Diane and Dennis, Mike and Cathy, her uncle Paul and her cousins Jaxon and Cruz.

Jayson nurtured Carly's love of the outdoors, including hiking and swimming. Carly would often be the first one to jump off the rocks at Emerald Lake, for example.

Carly also loved animals, including her dogs and guinea pigs.

She enjoyed spending time with her grandparents at their trailer and feasting on her Grandma Lewis' spaghetti and meatballs and her Grandma Zigyrosy's Greek salad.

Carly loved to travel and visited Portugal, Florida, Jamaica and Mexico in recent years.

She went to Miami and said, Mom, I want to live here,'" Lewis recalled.

Caelan Corrigan, Chase's girlfriend, would often turn to Carly for sisterly advice. Carly was always very inclusive and wanted everyone to be involved with group activities, Corrigan noted.

You just felt so special having her time," said Corrigan. Just having her wanting to have a conversation with you made you feel good."

Carly was confident and outgoing, but could also be sassy and stubborn at times, said Lewis. She had champagne tastes and was constantly striving to better herself.

Family friend Nicole Young said Carly would often read self-help books like, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind."

She was always striving for greatness," said Young.

She was the main character in her novel, that's for sure," Watson added.

Lewis said the family has received an outpouring of support from friends and family following Carly's death.

Watson has set up a GoFundMe for anyone wishing to help.

We are so grateful for all of the love and support," said Lewis. Fly high, baby girl."