Friends, family and those affected by the lives of Daniel and Kayla Amos gathered at Chesapeake Church in Huntingtown on Sunday to celebrate the lives of the young couple killed in a Valentine’s Day car accident in Anne Arundel County.
A head-on crash in Edgewater involving three vehicles Feb. 14 resulted in the deaths of Daniel Brian Amos, 21, and Kayla Nicole Amos, 20, residents of California, according to the Anne Arundel County Police Department.
On Feb. 21, Chesapeake Church, where the Amoses regularly worshipped and served, was filled to capacity to revere the lives of the young couple who were celebrating their six-month wedding anniversary on Valentine’s Day.
“We were challenged by the lives of Dan and Kayla to live out our faith in an excellent manner and to honor God with our lives as they did,” Kevin Amos, Daniel’s father, said at the ceremony. “We feel comforted and loved and supported by this community to do just that.”
Kevin Amos spoke highly of his son’s work ethic, stating that he put his all into everything he did. Daniel started off as a custodian at Chesapeake Church, working that job for two years until a guitarist position was available.
“Dan was a fantastic worker who loved Jesus, music and what he did,” Nathan LaBorie, arts director at Chesapeake Church, said in a phone interview. “It’s funny because he worked for me on paper, but we were a team. If anyone deserved to have an ego or have an attitude, Dan did, but he didn’t because he was just a humble, gentle young man.”
Kayla Amos was remembered as a kind, gentle woman who was a perfectionist at heart. She was also described as being very religious, serving various positions for the church and in the community.
“One could not ask for a greater role model of a big sister,” Samantha Cosner, Kayla Amos’ sister, said at the service. “Kayla has taught me so much in my life, and in this time she is not only teaching me, but everyone who knew her, how to find hope and healing in Christ. How else can we live on?”
“I really cannot believe I am standing here,” Larry Patin, stewardship pastor at Chesapeake Church, said at the ceremony. “Six months ago, I stood before many of you as I married Dan and Kayla. It doesn’t seem real.”
Kayla worked as a sales consultant for Maertens Fine Jewelry & Gifts in Lusby. She was also part of the church’s team to open a lobby coffee shop.
Patin read an answer Kayla wrote in her job application when asked why she wanted to be a part of the coffee shop.
“I want to be a part of the coffee shop because there are so many evangelism opportunities that can naturally happen in that kind of setting,” Patin read. “A church coffee shop is something that I wanted to be involved with. But I never imagined that I would get the opportunity to build it here at my home church. This is how I want to grow God’s kingdom here at Chesapeake.”
“What can I add to that?” Patin asked. “In those few words Kayla proclaimed her love for God and for those that don’t yet know him.”
Some of the couple’s closest friends addressed the congregation at the ceremony, thanking Dan and Kayla for the various lessons they have taught over the years, whether inadvertently or on purpose.
“The outpouring that everyone is seeing is a ripple effect,” Jacqueline Miller, president of End Hunger In Calvert County, said in a phone interview. “It’s quite ironic to us because it was two very quiet introvert people who have made such a ripple on the community.”
Witnesses to the crash told police a northbound 2002 Toyota Camry driven by 27-year-old Lauren Renee Scott of Edgewater crossed the center line on Solomons Island Road near Swallow Lane and struck the southbound 2011 Honda Civic, driven by Daniel Amos, near the shoulder of the highway.
A 2008 Ford Crown Victoria traveling southbound struck both vehicles, overturning the Honda, according to Anne Arundel County police.
The occupants of the Ford declined medical treatment at the scene.
Daniel Amos was declared dead at the scene by fire department personnel. Kayla Amos was flown to a shock trauma hospital in Baltimore with critical and unstable injuries. She died the next day.
Scott was flown from the scene with serious injuries and is currently recovering, according to Cpl. Jacklyn Davis of the Anne Arundel Police Department.
Anne Arundel County police said neither speed nor alcohol appeared to be a contributing factor to the crash. The traffic safety division of the police department is handling the investigation and will submit a report to the state’s attorney.
“At this point I don’t know if [Scott] will be charged,” Davis said in a phone interview Monday. “When the report is finished, it will be sent to the state’s attorney’s office. It could take up to nine months before we know. Hopefully not, though.”
By ANDREW CEPHAS

Students in Northern High School’s Future Business Leaders of America organization have been working closely with End Hunger in Calvert County as part of its Partnership with Business Project. These activities have included the annual End Hunger Obstacle Run, a campaign to raise awareness for the Calvert Cash program, and a schoolwide food drive in the month leading up to Christmas, where the school raised over 850 pounds of food, or 936 food items, to donate to food pantries in the Calvert County area.
Our partnership with End Hunger has been beneficial not only in that FBLA members benefitted End Hunger’s mission, but they also promoted awareness of the hunger crisis in the county. Through the partnership with End Hunger, FBLA members have said they developed an appreciation for the group’s ambitious goals, while at the same time learning about its structure and business model.
Project coordinators Tommy O’Brien, Alissa Lambert and Christian Kincaid are thankful to have the opportunity to work with such a talented organization. We thank our FBLA advisers, Nancy Wilt and Theresa Jackson, for supervising the project and helping make it a success.