In Loving Memory of Arielle Dryden-Bera

It has been a month since the tragic passing of Arielle Starr Dryden-Bera. She was 22. Her life was taken while walking along a sidewalk in a hit-and-run pedestrian car accident.

On the evening of August 24th, an unlicensed driver recklessly sped down the road. Arielle and her husband Fidel had just moved to the area and they were walking to get ice cream. The driver hit the curb behind them. He lost control and his vehicle crossed the sidewalk. They didn’t see it coming.

Arielle's injuries were fatal. Fidel was in critical care for several days. His body is healing but his heart is broken into millions of pieces.

Many people have asked how they can help. This has been a complicated and horrible situation. Traveling from California to Maryland has been difficult. Necessary fees have been costly and due to extenuating circumstances, many expenses are still unknown. Arielle and Fidel were married just two months before the accident, right after she graduated UC Davis in Animal Science. Her parents and family in Northern California were planning for a small wedding later this year. Instead, they’re preparing for her funeral.

In early August, a few short weeks before her life was taken, Arielle and Fidel bought their first home in Maryland. They were high school sweethearts; they grew up together, traveled across the country, and eventually graduated from the University of Davis together.

Arielle's paper on Eleutherodactylus Grunwaldi, an endangered frog species, was published just after graduation. You may read that paper by clicking here.

Arielle loved life. She was cautious and curious and always followed her heart. She was kind to everyone she met. She loved nature, the earth, and animals. She fancied many wild creatures, like wolves, snakes, dinosaurs, and dragons. She was an artist and a scientist. She was unique and funny and detailed and beautiful. She was truly one-of-a-kind, and she has left a void that will never be filled.

Arielle’s husband, mother, father, and brother are still trying to process this tragedy as a family. They take some solace knowing that Arielle was happiest in her final months through her last minutes, stretching her wings into adulthood, with Fidel by her side.

Arielle’s aunt has established this fund with Arielle’s family to support expenses related to this horrible accident. Any extra funds raised will be donated, in Arielle’s honor, to the following nonprofits:

A Celebration of Life will be held in Woodland, CA on November 5th, 2022 at Home Church. Arielle would have been 23 on November 4th.

Arielle was love. She was raised in love. She believed in love. She lived a life full of love. 1 John 4:16 says, "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them." Arielle is with God now and in the presence of His love.

Please get in touch with Robyn Bera at the link below if you choose to donate directly to an organization instead of through Go Fund Me. The family would like to track the number of donations made in Arielle’s honor.