Friends remembered Kevetta Davis and Yasmin Jackson Sunday for their constant smiles and resilient spirits.

Davis and Jackson, both sophomores at SIUC, were killed Friday when a sleeping driver collided head-on with their SUV. Both were 19.

At a memorial dinner Sunday night at Davis’ apartment, friends shared stories, food, laughs and tears.

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The two friends met in September 2007 when both auditioned to join the dance group Fatal Fusion, said Latasha Elmore, vice president of the group. Jackson was heading home to go shopping with her parents and was giving Davis a ride to see her boyfriend, who goes to school in Missouri, friends said.

Jackson was driving north on I-57 near the West Frankfort exit Friday afternoon when her SUV was struck by a box truck that crossed over the median from the southbound lane, Illinois State Police said. Both women were wearing their seatbelts and died on impact.

Elmore, a junior from Maywood studying administration of justice, said both were skilled dancers who always wore a smile.

“If they were going through stuff, you would’ve never known about it,” Elmore said.

Davis, a sophomore from Chicago studying physiology, was remembered by friends as always happy even though she didn’t grow up with many luxuries.

From Davis’ example, friends learned the importance of appreciating what they have, said roommate Michara Canty, a sophomore from Chicago studying broadcast journalism.

“She didn’t have much, but was just always happy, and that happiness was pretty much contagious when she came into a room,” Canty said. “It’s just unfortunate that a person with so much beauty would have to leave this Earth, but I just feel that God had another purpose for her because she was stronger than most of us.”

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Shannon Williams, a sophomore from Dolton studying radiological sciences, was also Davis’ roommate. Though she only knew Davis for several months, Williams said she considered her a sister.

Williams said Davis was easy to get to know and made her feel welcome from the first time she met her. The two regularly rode the bus in the morning together from their Reserve at Saluki Pointe apartment, and Davis would always put her in a good mood for the day, Williams said.

“The purpose of having this dinner for her is to celebrate her going to heaven,” she said. “We’re not trying to cry anymore. We’ve got the tears out. If we do cry, it’s tears of joy because she got to go to heaven before us.”

Friends signed posters hanging on Davis’ bedroom door. The posters were littered with photographs, inside jokes and memories about both women.

Candace Cooper, a fellow Fatal Fusion member, said she auditioned with both Davis and Jackson in September 2007.

Cooper said the group threw a party for Jackson, an undecided sophomore from St. Louis, at the end of the spring semester when she announced she was leaving SIUC because she could not afford the out-of-state tuition.

Soon after the party, however, Jackson told her friends she would stay at school to remain close with the group she loved.

Copper described Jackson as a multi-talented dancer who brought versatility to the primarily hip-hop influenced group. Jackson had a background in jazz dancing and impressed the group immediately with her acrobatic moves, she said.

“She was happy all the time,” Cooper said. “Everything she did, she did it with joy, she did it with happiness and she loved it.”

Sometimes what Jackson did brought attention from crowded restaurants, said Davina Frazier, a senior from Crete studying English.

Frazier said she and Jackson went to Quatro’s two weeks before her death and felt the need to bust into a dance in the middle of the restaurant.

Though her dance moves were flashy, Jackson was very grounded, Frazier said.

“I complained about everything, and I never heard her complain,” she said.

Anthony Henderson, a junior from Chicago studying radio-television, said he dropped Jackson and Davis off at the SUV before they left. He said both girls seemed happy and excited about the weekend.

The driver of the box truck that drifted into oncoming traffic and hit the women was Dennis Hernandez, 38, of Lemont, Calif., Illinois State Police said. Hernandez, who police said fell asleep at the wheel, received minor injuries and was cited for driving on a suspended license, driving in the wrong lane and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Police would not confirm reports in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Hernandez was hauling sound equipment for Bret Michaels, former lead singer of Poison and subject of the VH1 reality show “Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels.”

Tour buses stopped at the scene, according to the Post-Dispatch.

Allison Petty contributed to this report.

Sean McGahan can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 254 or [email protected].