A GoFundMe created for Kory Ouellette, a 20-year-old from Salem who was killed in a crash on Sunday evening, has far-surpassed its $10,000 goal to provide financial support to his family after his death.
The fundraiser has received more than $46,000 in donations as of Thursday afternoon, three days after it was created by a cousin of the family.
Ouellette had been driving on Puritan Road around 6:18 p.m. on Aug. 27, when his car crashed into a fence, the Salem Police Department said, and he was killed in the single-car crash.
“Kory had the biggest heart and the best personality. He was always looking out for everyone and had the ability to make everyone laugh even in the worst of times. We will miss him deeply,” the family initially wrote.
In two separate updates to the fundraiser, the family stated they were “overwhelmed” and “beyond grateful” for the support they’d received.
A wake open to the public has been scheduled for Thursday from 4-8 p.m. at the O’Donnell Funeral Home in Salem, with a Mass held the following day on Sept. 1 at 10 a.m. at St. James Church in the city.
In Ouellette’s obituary, the family stated the 20-year-old brother and son was “truly the best,” and a stellar athlete who truly loved his teammates in childhood and at St. Mary’s High School, as well as his classmates, other friends and family, his obituary stated.
One of his most prideful moments was winning the MIAA State Championships in both hockey and baseball with his brother, Kyle, on his teams, his obituary stated.
“Nothing made him happier than being with his brothers and family,” his obituary read. “A quick witted, fun loving young man, Kory was the consummate ‘teammate’ in life.”
Ouellette forged “unbreakable bonds” and was “ultimately loyal to those he loved,” extending that compassion to both strangers and to his friends and family with his “larger-than-life personality,” his obituary continued.
“Yet above all else, his love of family was at the core of who he was. His brothers, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins meant the world to him, and he would give his shirt off his back if they were in need,” the obituary stated, adding that he loved his dogs, Maya and Simba, “more than anyone could have imagined.”
