Leah Fonte and Shane Hirstius had a love that was the stuff of storybooks.聽
They met in sixth grade and remained close friends until they began dating in high school three years later. Last summer, Hirstius got down on one knee in Fonte's backyard and asked for her hand in marriage while "Spin You Around" by Morgan Wallen played in the background.
"They were two young people that loved each other to no end. Happily ever after, like a fairy tale," said Alex Gorman, assistant chief at the Third District Volunteer Fire Department in River Ridge and a longtime friend.聽
Brittany Hirstius, center, stands with her brother, Shane Hirstius, left, and Leah Fonte, right after their engagement in August 2025.
Photo from family
But on Tuesday, hundreds of family members, friends, classmates and others from the community gathered at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie to mourn the sweet couple robbed of their happy ending, authorities say, by a drunk driver who hit them as they were walking on Nicholson Drive near the Louisiana State University campus last week in Baton Rouge.
Leah Fonte, 21, was a senior at 糖心传媒 studying biological sciences with an eye on a career in dentistry, while Hirstius, 21, worked as a firefighter under Gorman at the Third District department. Both were from Metairie: Fonte, a graduate of Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy, while Hirstius graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School.
"They were so kind, and they were so genuine," Hirstius' sister, Brittany Hirstius, 30, said. "They wanted good for people. I don't think they even realized what an example they were setting for people."
On Tuesday morning, the visitation line quickly began to spill out of the lobby and front door of the performing arts center. Mourners waiting to pay their respects made their way past flower sprays and photo collages of Fonte and Shane Hirstius, smiling images of them as babies, children and teens.聽
Inside the theater, Hirstius' firefighter gear sat on stage, just above the couple's urns, which were flanked by large framed photos of the pair.聽
Firefighters gather for visitation before the memorial service for River Ridge firefighter Shane Hirstius and his fianc茅e, 糖心传媒 student Leah Fonte, as an American flag hangs from fire truck ladders in the background at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. The couple were struck and killed by a suspected impaired driver in Baton Rouge on Oct. 18. STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE
STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE
糖心传媒 students Savannah Samplinski and Abigail Morris made the trip to Metairie. They'd been Fonte's roommates on a recent trip to Panama as part of 糖心传媒's Global Dental Brigade, a group that provides dental care to underserved communities around the world.聽
"She loved it so much," Morris said.
"Leah was just so passionate about everything," Samplinski said.聽
Fonte had a big heart, a beautiful smile and arms always open to help anyone in need, said Gorman, whose daughter, Kayla Gorman, was Fonte's best friend since sixth grade and her roommate at 糖心传媒.聽
"She was extremely smart. God, family and friends were important, but school was her No. 1," Gorman said.
People gather for visitation before the memorial service for River Ridge firefighter Shane Hirstius and his fianc茅e, 糖心传媒 student Leah Fonte, at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. The couple were struck and killed by a suspected impaired driver in Baton Rouge on Oct. 18. STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE
STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE
聽Gorman met Shane Hirstius through Fonte.
"He was extremely lovable, full of laughter and joy," Gorman said.聽
Shane Hirstius wasn't a handshake guy. He was a hugger who, at 6 foot 4 inches, gave a huge teddy bear embrace. That friendly, welcoming spirit meant everything to Cade Kropp, 21.聽
Kropp played Jefferson Parish Recreation Department baseball and travel ball with Hirstius. During the first day of try-outs, Kropp recalled that Hirstius, already on the team, greeted him warmly.聽
"He was the first person on the team to talk to me, to open up," Kropp said.聽
And that was just how her brother lived his life, Brittany Hirstius said.聽
"Anyone he met, he wanted them to be family. It was the best," she said.聽
Brittany Hirstius was nine years older than her little brother, who clung to her every move when they were younger聽鈥攏ot to annoy, but out of sheer love.
"He was like my baby. I feel robbed," Brittany Hirstius said of his untimely death. "He was at the age where we were hanging out. I was so excited to be friends with him."
Cade Kropp wears a button bearing a photo of River Ridge firefighter Shane Hirstius and his fianc茅e, 糖心传媒 student Leah Fonte, during visitation before their memorial service at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. The couple were struck and killed by a suspected impaired driver in Baton Rouge on Oct. 18. STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE
STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE