Correspondent photo / Sean Barron Yolanda Driver, right, prepares to release a butterfly at Saturday’s 14th annual Butterfly Festival in Youngstown to honor her daughters, E’Lexus Conner, 16, and En’Dia Conner, 18. E’Lexus Conner was killed in a car crash early July 12 at nearby Market Street and East Myrtle Avenue; her older daughter is in the hospital recovering from her injuries.

YOUNGSTOWN — When a butterfly is released, it typically soars through the air — in a real sense, the way E’Lexus Conner was soaring through her young life.

“She was very vibrant and very beautiful inside and out. She loved to dance, and she wanted to be a CSI investigator,” her father, Emmett Conner, said.

Those were among the memories he shared about his beloved daughter, who was killed in an early morning crash July 12 at Market Street and East Myrtle Avenue on the South Side.

E’Lexus Conner’s older sister, En’Dia Conner, 18, remains at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital after having undergone multiple surgeries for her injuries.

En’Dia Conner had just graduated from Chaney High School and Choffin Career & Technical Center, where she ran track and played volleyball and basketball. She attends Youngstown State University and hopes to study journalism.

The two siblings were fondly and lovingly remembered and honored during the 14th annual Butterfly Festival on Saturday afternoon at the Southside Community Garden in the 100 block of Williamson Avenue, which is about a block from the accident scene.

E’Lexus Conner, a Chaney High student, also loved to play basketball and run track, and she was part of the Harambee Dancers organization. On her radar were plans to attend YSU to study criminal justice, her father said, adding that “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” was her favorite program.

In another tribute to his two daughters, Conner brought to Saturday’s festival a large photograph showing the siblings embracing each other, inscribed with the girls’ names and a heart under each one.

“She loved family, friends and holidays. She was a super intelligent and brilliant person,” E’Lexus Conner’s mother, Yolanda Driver, said.

E’Lexus Conner’s busy life also included working summer jobs with the United Returning Citizens organization and part-time at Eleven 23 Beauty Studio, Driver said, adding that her daughter loved to experiment with a variety of hairstyles and keep up with the latest fashion trends.

During a poignant moment, as part of a celebration of life memorial for their daughter during the fest, Driver and Conner gathered next to each other in prayer, then released a few butterflies in their younger daughter’s memory, as well as to honor her.

“We’re praying for her,” Emmett Conner said, referring to his older daughter. “This is a devastating tragedy, but let the investigation continue. I want justice for my children.”

Lois Martin-Uscianowski, who ran the festival on property she reclaimed on the north side of Williamson Avenue, vividly recalled what the large parcel looked like when she initially eyed it.

“In 2009, I heard the voice of God and it said, ‘Put a garden on your grandmother’s land.’ In 2009, there was nothing here; it was overgrown and it was terrible.”

Suffice it to say that Martin-Uscianowski, who also is an ordained minister who spearheads two ministries, has gone a bit further. She has several gardens and much greenspace on the lots, along with a shed and nearby large enclosure in which she released several monarchs and other types of butterflies during the fest.

Festival-goers were encouraged to use available cotton swabs on which was sugar water with which to feed the butterflies.

When preparing to release the insects, they should be held delicately in a gentle manner, Martin-Uscianowski said, adding that each butterfly lives an average of two to four weeks.

In addition, she has a day care program to allow young people to learn more about and appreciate nature, as well as ways to care for plants and flowers. Martin-Uscianowski fuses those goals with environmentally-friendly life lessons, such as the importance of refraining from littering, she said.

Another tribute to E’Lexus Conner at the fest came in the form of painted yellow roses and an accompanying butterfly on the side of a shed, courtesy of Mallory Soles, 14, of New Springfield. The color choice was no accident: Yellow was E’Lexus Conner’s favorite color, Mallory said.

Given the tragic nature of the accident, events such as Saturday’s fest underscore the importance of people coming together to support one another — especially families who have suffered the loss of a child, city Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward, said.

“An event like this is just what the community needs, and Youngstown coming together,” Oliver said, adding, “We can all start caring about each other more.”

The gathering also included a pop-up library, courtesy of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, as well as activities for children. Also on hand were members of the Jericho Project, who prepared much of the food and provided a variety of religious songs.

Bundles of colorful balloons have been tied to several light poles at the accident site to remember E’Lexus Conner and to show support to the others who are recovering from their injuries in the crash.