Prosper choir director died in Frisco crash, family says

PROSPER, Texas - Family and friends of a Prosper ISD music teacher are heartbroken after she was killed in a crash in Frisco Thursday morning.

Very little information has been released about the crash, but loved ones of the victim said she was a loving and kind person.

Frisco police haven't released many details about the crash, only sharing that traffic was blocked off on northbound Coit Road, just north of Main Street, as they worked to clear a crash at about 8 a.m. on Thursday.

Family members confirmed with FOX 4 that the victim in the crash is 23-year-old McKenna Johnson.

Johnson's best friend said connecting with kids through music was Johnson’s passion, and she was living out her dream as a choir director. 

"She had the privilege of impacting so many people and she knew it, and she didn’t take it for granted, is what I’ve learned from this," Marissa Harry said. "Everyone she came into contact with just adores her and has just raved about how she’s made their lives so much better."

It’s still unclear how the crash happened.

Her family said she was taking care of her parents' dog in Plano and was on her way to work in Prosper when the crash happened.

"Her phone sent me the notification that there was a crash and that 911 had been dialed," Harry said. "Checked back a few hours later and saw that it hadn’t moved, then I’d gotten in touch with her brother and he said the police had called him and that she was in the hospital in serious condition." 

Then Harry got a call that her best friend passed away.  

"McKenna was very passionate, and she loved very hard. And she loved her friends, family, and everyone she met fiercely," Harry said.

The Plano native put the same amount of passion into her job as a choir director.  

"She was in choir since she was in 6th grade or so, and just kept doing it. In high school, she was in show choir and that was something that was really special to her that wasn’t in every choir program," Harry said.

Johnson was an assistant choir director at two middle schools in Prosper, Rushing and Hayes middle schools.

"She had an infectious laugh and everything in her wanted to make those around her happier," Harry said.

From the moment Harry and Johnson met, they just clicked.

"Just kind of connected at the hip for the past five years," Harry said.

At Stephen F. Austin State University, the two studied music education, and after graduation, they both became choir directors for school districts in North Texas.  

"She loved kids and being able to connect with them through music," Harry said of Johnson. "I think that’s a beautiful thing that we get to do, just in life, how we get to make people’s lives better and I think that’s all she could have ever wanted."

Her parents said choir was a big part of her life since she was in elementary school.

Prosper ISD released the following statement:

"We express deep sorrow and condolences to the family of Ms. Johnson during this incredibly difficult time. Ms. Johnson was a beloved and dedicated teacher, and her loss has left our school community profoundly saddened. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family as they navigate through this tragedy."