Tracie Browning-Weaver, left, Arianna Harris, 1, Sarah Rohde and Julian Harris, 4, before Arianna and Rohde died in a crash on Highway 4 on Thanksgiving.Courtesy photo
The mother had an aura that gleamed brightly when she held a baby and the daughter watched the world so fiercely, it was as if she, at only 18-months-old, was trying to make up for lost time. They were killed on Thanksgiving as they came home from a family gathering in Arnold earlier in the day.
Sarah Rohde, 27, and daughter Arianna Harris, 1, both sustained fatal injuries in a collision with a black bear on Highway 4. Rohde’s 4-year-old son, Julian Harris, sustained minor injuries and was flown to the University of California, Davis, Medical Center in Sacramento for treatment. He was recovering physically by Nov. 25, Rohde’s mother, Tracie Browning-Weaver, said.
The California Highway Patrol said Rohde was driving a 2002 Subaru Impreza at approximately 60 mph when the vehicle hit a black bear on Highway 4 near Holiday Mine Road, just east of Chatom Vineyards at 6 p.m. Nov. 23.
The bear also died in the crash. Browning-Weaver said the bruin smashed the front of the car and ripped off the roof. Julian was scratched by the bear’s claws before it died, she added.
Sarah Rohde, Arianna Harris, 1, and Julian Harris, 4, paint pumpkins. Rohde and Arianna were killed in a collision with a bear on Thanksgiving. Julian sustained minor injuries.Courtesy photo
“He made it out miraculously,” Browning-Weaver said. “He had a cut on his lip.”
Moments before the crash, Rohde and her children left a family gathering in Arnold, Browning-Weaver said. Children belonging to Browning-Weaver’s daughters and godchildren played as the adults prepared the meal. They all ate around a table facing the Stanislaus River Canyon.
“It could not have been a more perfect, beautiful day,” Browning-Weaver said. “Her last day on Earth was a beautiful day for her.”
As the sun set, Rohde left with her children. Not far behind was Browning-Weaver. Their two cars separated when they went opposite directions in Arnold.
A mother of two, Rohde, was going to have another child in time, Browning-Weaver said. She and her partner, Dajon Harris, were waiting to become more financially stable before adding to their family.
Just before Thanksgiving, Rohde was promoted at her job with the Tuolumne County Social Services department, where she had been employed for the past three years. She was bumped up from eligibility worker I to II, said Dajon Harris.
The youngest of two, Arianna Harris always had a smile on her face, and she adored her brother. She loved Julian’s light-up shoes. Only walking for half of her life, she waited all day for Julian to come home so she could play with his sneakers, even though she could not jump yet.
“She would kick them on her feet to try to get the lights to go,” said Browning-Weaver.
She also frequently snuck into where her mother kept her makeup, Browning-Weaver added.
Known for her bravery, Rohde will be remembered for the moments when she remained calm when navigating people through tight squeezes when she worked at Moaning Cavern, or for being a neutral mediator during disputes among friends when she was a student at Bret Harte High School.
Browning-Weaver said her daughter, who always wore a flower in her hair later in life, was not always so fearless. She was once a shy girl in a ponytail, hiding behind her mother before a ski trip to the Bear Valley Ski Resort when she attended Hazel Fischer Elementary School in White Pines. By the end of the ski trip, however, Rohde blossomed.
Students were loading onto a bus to go home at the end of the day when Rohde turned up missing. She was found before long, on a ski lift, bobbing her ponytail back and forth on her way up the mountain.
“She found her wings,” said Browning-Weaver. “From then on, she was a daredevil.”
Rohde met Dajon Harris in high school, though they did not begin dating until they both attended Columbia College. Rohde had plans to finish her accounting degree by the time her son was born, but was told she did not have any more time to complete the degree.
Rather than continuing her job at the cavern, Rohde applied for work in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties. Browning-Weaver said Rohde eventually chose a position in Tuolumne.
The goal was to eventually progress up the career ladder, but she needed a degree first. Browning-Weaver said Rohde intended to finishing school via online classes.
With the passing of her daughter and granddaughter, Browning-Weaver said she is going to “be there at every turn” for Dajon and Julian Harris.
It will be tough for the boys; the father needs a safer car, Browning-Weaver said. The pair will likely also have to downsize their lives in Copperopolis.
The burials could also be a challenge. Browning-Weaver estimated memorials for the mother and daughter could cost about $1,500 each. Services have not yet been announced.
Fundraising efforts have begun. What is left over from the memorial services will go to Dajon and his son.
“(Julian) is taking it better than any of us are,” Dajon Harris said. “I don’t think he understands what really happened.”
Anyone interested in donating can visit gofundme.com/4r64zq0.
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