TEMPE, Ariz. — Cameron Grant has always known just how special his daughter has been to him. Her smile, he said, meant the world to him.
"She was a great friend to people. She had tons of enthusiasm. Tons of imagination."
Thursday, he learned just how special she was to so many others as well.
"Outpouring of love for her. So many more people than I had realized," Cameron Grant said.
The Aveda Institute in Tempe was a special place for Aliccia Grant.
It’s a place where she honed her craft in beauty, guided others as an instructor, and where lifelong memories and friendships were made.
Thursday night, family, friends and loved ones gathered to hug each other and held back tears as they remembered Aliccia Grant's life.
"She just had a love of life, and would do anything for her friends," said Cameron Grant.
It was a life that was cut short.
Back on Sept. 9, Phoenix Police say Aliccia Grant was stabbed to death near Cave Creek and Thunderbird roads in north Phoenix.
Detectives say her husband, Stephen Dennis, admitted to killing her. Details on the motive for her death are still unknown.
As those who loved Aliccia Grant try to make sense of what they say was a senseless tragedy, they’re comforted by the time they had with her.
"Her laugh and her ability to embrace joyfully."
Cameron Grant now carries new memories of just how special his daughter was to him, and everyone around her.
"She obviously touched dozens and dozens of people's lives. That I had no idea about. It's overwhelmingly joyful to see that, " said Cameron Grant.
Stephen Dennis faces second-degree murder charges in Aliccia Grant's death.
Aliccia’s family is now focused on caring for her 2 children, a 15-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with their care.
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