Northwood Middle School mourns death of 13-year-old Chloe Comeau

‘She was the most loving, courageous and positive person,’ mother says after daughter battled brain tumor

Chloe Comeau. COURTESY PHOTO, GoFundMe

Chloe Comeau. COURTESY PHOTO, GoFundMe

Hearts are heavy and tears are flowing at Northwood Middle School after the death of 13-year-old Chloe Rae Comeau.

For nine months, Chloe fought to survive. But on Nov. 21, she died from complications of a brain tumor, according to a GoFundMe account her aunt Tamara Comeau set up.

Northwood is in unincorporated King County with a Renton address, 17007 SE 184th St., but part of the Kent School District.

“It is with great sorrow that I inform you of the beautiful soul we lost today,” Tiffany Comeau, her mother, posted. “She was the most loving, courageous and positive person. She is no longer suffering and is at peace; having a party up in heaven with her papa.

“Thank you for all of the love and support my family has received during the last nine months.”

A Celebration of Life for Chloe is at 11 a.m. on Saturday Dec. 9 at New Hope Presbyterian Church, 19800 108th Ave. SE, in Kent. All are welcome, according to the family.

“Chloe has been the light of our lives since we first saw her,” said Tamara Comeau, who started the GoFundMe page to help with funeral costs and to support Tiffany Comeau and her three other young children.

At Northwood, Chloe served as an Associated Student Body (ASB) officer and worked on the school yearbook team, according to a Nov. 29 email from Principal Scott Haines. She was in the eighth grade.

“Chloe was a kindhearted, positive, caring person,” Haines said in an email to the Kent Reporter. “She showed grit and determination like no other student I have seen.”

School leaders arranged for additional counseling support for students and staff.

“It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter to share news of the passing of one of our dynamic 8th grade students,” Haines wrote in a Nov. 22 email to the Northwood community. “Our deepest sympathies are extended to her family and friends during this difficult time of grief and loss.”

After the Thanksgiving break, Northwood staff provided a card in the school Commons at lunch for students and staff to write messages of condolence to the family. Students were welcome to add a message or just sign the card to be shared with Chloe’s family.

“Losing a member of our Northwood Family is painful,” Haines said in his email to the school community. “I cannot imagine the grief that the Comeau family is experiencing. I know this is, and will be, a very difficult time for our community as we mourn the loss of one of our own.”

In a Nov. 23 Northwood email, Haines shared details to help students and staff cope with the loss of Chloe.

“Processing this type of loss is difficult,” he said. “When things like this happen, people have different kinds of reactions such as shock, sadness, fear, or anger. You might feel these emotions on and off today and in the days to come. Some of us may want quiet time alone and others may want time to talk with our friends.

“Some of you who didn’t know Chloe may be ready to return to learning sooner than others. We need to practice patience and understanding for each other during this time of grief and sadness.”

Counselors stepped up to help students.

“Losing a member of our Jaguar Family is painful,” Haines said. “Remember, support is available for anyone that needs it.”

Haines summed up in his email to the Kent Reporter what Chloe was like at Northwood.

“She was very involved in what was going on around campus, and always willing to help others, even though she was in pain herself a lot of the time,” he said. “To me, she is the epitome of what a student should be like.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated that Northwood is in unincorporated King County.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

Photos from the United States Attorney's Office Western District of Washington press release.
Kent man arrested in connection to violent drug trafficking gang investigation

Law enforcement seized more than 20 kilograms of fentanyl, 60 firearms, and more than $130,000 in cash.

Courtesy Photo, King County
Son accused of fatally shooting mother’s boyfriend in Kent back in jail

Dondre Butler has 3 violations in 13 months of electronic home detention after charged with murder in 2022

t
Kent Police targeted street patrols result in arrest of two felons

One driver spotted in a vehicle with no plates; another driver reportedly in a stolen vehicle

t
Kent cold case murder suspect back in state after governor’s warrant | Update

Kenneth Kundert fought extradition from Arkansas after August arrest in 1980 killing of Dorothy Silzel

t
City of Kent eyes November opening for Reith Road roundabouts

Two more roundabouts will bring total in city to six; three more in future plans

t
Kent-based Puget Sound Fire honors this year’s 20 retirees

17 firefighters and 3 staff members retire; firefighters served between 24 and 35 years

t
Pedestrian dies in Kent after being struck by a vehicle | Update

Des Moines man, 61, identified; reportedly tried crossing highway late at night but wasn’t in a crosswalk

t
‘Drivers going too fast’ led to 45-vehicle collision in Kent on I-5

State Patrol says drivers need to ‘slow down;’ nobody seriously injured in Sunday afternoon incident

T
Sound Transit to feature glass art in Kent at Star Lake Station

Part of agency’s light rail art program at two stations in Kent and one in Federal Way

Emergency vehicles respond Oct. 21 to the State Route 18 crash in Maple Valley that killed a Kent baby. COURTESY PHOTO, Puget Sound Fire
Federal Way man faces vehicular homicide charge in death of Kent baby

19-year-old also charged with vehicular assault for injuring boy’s mother in SR 18 crash

t
Kent mother arrested after reportedly driving drunk with baby in vehicle

22-month-old baby uninjured after witnesses report woman asleep at the wheel and blocking traffic

Puget Sound Fire, King County Medic One, and Washington State Patrol on location of the accident. Photo from Puget Sound Fire X account
Baby dies in crash on SR 18

Incident occurred at about 2:58 p.m. Oct. 21.