Family and friends honor ‘Coach T,’ victim killed in Immokalee crash

This woman’s infectious smile will only live on through pictures after a tragic crash in Collier County.

Tenequa Smith, lovingly known as Coach T, worked as an aquatics supervisor for the city of Naples.

Florida Highway Patrol said that late Sunday night, a driver crossed into oncoming traffic and slammed into Coach T’s car, killing them both. It happened on Immokalee Road near Camp Keais Road.

There were three things repeated over and over about Coach T from family and friends. One, how beautiful her smile was. Two, how kind she was, and three, how the world will never again know someone quite like her.

• RELATED: 2 people killed after crash on Immokalee Road

Who was Coach T?

“She was just one of the most pure souls I think anyone could come across,” said Kei’ana Johnson, a friend. “She was just vibrant, and she exudes life. She was confident in who she was. Just about as best of a friend as you could get.”

Ask anyone who knew Tenequa Smith and one of the first things they’ll mention is her beautiful smile.

“It lit up the room, any room she was in,” Johnson said.

Or the smile she’d give you.

“She was going to say something that would make you laugh or something that was going to make you smile,” said Chad Merritt, parks, recreation and facilities director, city of Naples.

She did it every day at the River Park Aquatic Center, where she started out as a lifeguard in 2013 and then became the aquatics supervisor.

“She taught kids to swim. She taught kids about life. She was gonna do big things,” Merritt said.

But Coach T’s life was tragically cut short Monday when FHP said a car crossed into the westbound lane on Immokalee Road, slamming into Tenequa’s car, killing both her and the driver, a man from Naples.

“That road is dangerous. It scares us. It scared us for years,” Johnson said.

Now, coworkers, family and friends are grappling with the fact that she’s gone.

“She’s gonna be a soul we’re never going to get to experience again, and somebody was truly going to be missed,” Johnson said.

The city told us it plans to honor Coach T and her contributions to the community sometime in the near future.

What that will look like hasn’t been determined yet, but as soon as we know more, we’ll bring that to you.

Mercy Puente, River Park Manager, also had some words for Coach T:

“Tenequa ‘T’ was an amazing soul that, through her smile and kindness, impacted many lives.  Her loss has had an enormous impact on her family, the community she served, and her co-workers.  We have experienced an overwhelming out-pour of condolences from family’s she taught swim lessons to as well as former lifeguards.  We have received calls from people in Colorado, Gainesville, FSU, and all across the state.  All of them have expressed the positive influence she had on their lives, and they are devastated by this loss. I have watched her grow up, personally and professionally, and she has left a legacy here in the River Park Community. She is going to be missed tremendously.”