Jaylah M. Chaffin, 4, of Port Clinton died Tuesday, February 22, 2011. She was born January 15, 2007 in Sandusky, OH.

Surviving are her parents, Jayson and Kimberly (Christian) Chaffin; grandparents, Ron and Kathy Chaffin of Port Clinton, Connie and Lee Bitting of Pennsylvania, Mike and Sharon Christian of Marion, OH; great-grandparents, Darlene Dodway of Port Clinton, Wanda Short of Port Clinton, Nora Jean Dawson of Florida, Barbara Mount of Marion, OH; step-great-grandfather, William Mount of Marion, OH; aunts and uncles, Rachel and Jim Crowe of Port Clinton, Rhonda Chaffin and Ron Adkins of Port Clinton, Miranda and Todd Reid of Upper Sandusky, OH; cousins, James Crowe, Zachery Adkins, Jacob Hendricks, Breann Hendricks, Christopher Reid, Peyton Reid, Elaine Reid.

Funeral services will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 26, 2011 at Grace Baptist Church, Port Clinton where visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Burial will be in Riverview Cemetery, Port Clinton, OH. Memorial contributions may be given to the Jaylah Chaffin Memorial Fund at any Huntington Bank or Grace Baptist Church. Online condolences may be shared with the family at: www.neideckerleveckcrosser.com


*******Toledo Blade Feb 23, 2011**********


A 4-year-old girl was killed and four others were injured, at least one seriously, in a three-vehicle crash Tuesday in Ottawa County's Portage Township.

Troopers at the Sandusky post of the Ohio Highway Patrol identified the child as Jaylah Chaffin, of Port Clinton, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Troopers said the child was in a car driven by her mother, Kimberly Chaffin, 31, which was eastbound on State Rt. 163 near Christy Chapel Road about 5:40 p.m. when it hit the rear of a pickup truck, which was stopped waiting to turn left into a driveway. After the collision, Ms. Chaffin's car turned onto its left side and slid into oncoming traffic, where it was hit in the roof by a westbound car.

Ms. Chaffin was taken to Magruder Hospital, Port Clinton, as was Zachary Barrere, 17, of Port Clinton, who was driving the pickup, and his passenger, Hannah Mowel, 16, of Port Clinton. Their conditions were unavailable last night.

Wendy Holder, 56, of Port Clinton, who was in the westbound car, was taken by medical helicopter to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, Toledo, where she was in serious condition.

Troopers said charges are pending. Alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the crash.


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Staff members and children at the daycare center Jaylah Chaffin attended are mourning the death of the 4-year-old.

Chaffin died in a three-vehicle collision Tuesday night on Ohio 163 near Christy Chapel Road.

Tot's Spot preschool teacher's aide Christina Armendariz said some of the older children understand what happened to Jaylah.

"They're coloring pictures and stuff for her and they're going, 'Oh, she's an angel now with my grandma or my grandpa,'" the aide said.

"We're going to have the children make special things for her, to give to the parents."

Armendariz said when the weather gets warmer, the staff and children will plant a garden or a tree in memory of the child.

"She was just an all-around great kid," the aide said. "She just had the biggest, brightest blue-grey eyes that would just
melt you."

Some of the younger children do not yet know why Jaylah was not at the center on Wednesday. "Most of the kids are not really recognizing it just yet. A couple of her really close friends just think she's not here for the day," Armendariz said.

Ashley Riddle, the lead teacher in the toddler room at Tot's Spot, said Wednesday was a hard day for employees.

"The staff members, we're just trying to stick together and stay strong for the family," Riddle said. "As for the children, we actually have not really informed them what's going on ... A lot of our kids are really, really young and they may not understand what happened."

Many staff members were devastated by the news of Tuesday evening's collision. "It's really hard. It's a very sad day today here. We're all really upset about it," Riddle said. She described Jaylah as a beautiful girl with a bubbly personality.

"She loved to color, loved to color. Her favorite colors were purple and pink. She always had her little Nemo at her side, and her blanket," the teacher said.

"She was very sweet. She was a sweetheart. She had a lot of friends here, a lot of people who cared about her."

The staff has set up a donation box for Jaylah's family. The center is open from 5: 30 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday and from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at 2353 E. Harbor Road.

As of Wednesday afternoon a woman injured in the accident, Wendy Holder, 56, of Port Clinton, was listed in serious condition at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo.

Kimberly Chaffin, 31, of Port Clinton, was a patient at Magruder Hospital.

Two others taken to Magruder after the accident, Zachary Barrere, 17, of Port Clinton, and Hannah Mowel, 16, of Port Clinton, were not listed as patients on Wednesday afternoon.

A spokesman for the Sandusky Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol said the incident is still under investigation and no one has been cited.