The shattered loved ones of a former model who died at a popular brewery have gathered together to bid the young woman a final goodbye.
Savana Calvo, 27, died suddenly inside a bathroom at the Young Henrys brewery, in Sydney’s inner west, on the night of September 25.
Hundreds of friends and family members packed into St Mark’s Church in Darling Point to pay tribute to Ms Calvo at an emotional service on Friday.
Her father, Daniel, and brother James both shared eulogies for Savana, while a video of Ms Calvo singing Miley Cyrus’ The Climb as an eight-year-old also played.
Daniel said his family was ‘crushed’ as ‘we try to search for meaning in what has happened’ to his beloved daughter.
Describing Savana as the ‘coolest chick in the hood’, he said she had ‘lit up’ the lives of everyone who knew her.
‘I love you more than words can say,’ David said as he choked back tears.
‘Life will never be the same again. We will all grow old, but not her. As brief as it was, her legacy will carry on. Rest in peace, my darling. We’ll never ever forget you.’
James described the many talents of his little sister, who he said was a ‘triple threat’.
‘She was gifted in the arts, specifically drawing, singing and writing,’ he said.
‘She was gifted athletically, the most out of the three siblings.
‘And as you can see, she was also beautiful.
‘She could have been a top athlete, artist, musician or a top model.’
James said Savana had great energy, a beautiful smile, laugh and ‘definitely sass, which she had a lot of’.
‘She was also passionate about helping others work through their difficulties and troubles. It’s as though it gave her purpose,’ he said.
‘When I had an accident a while back and I ended up in hospital, she was the first there to give me support.’
He closed by saying, ‘I love you so much my little sister, it’s not goodbye forever, it’s just goodbye for now’.
Reverend David Crain reassured family and friends that while they were probably questioning whether they could have done more to help Savana, ‘no, there wasn’t anything you could do’.
Shattered mum Tatjana struggled to hold herself together as her daughter was taken away in a coffin, covered in pink and white flowers, for the final time.
A family friend earlier told Daily Mail that Savana had suffered trying times in the months leading up to her death.
Mystery surrounded her death at Young Henrys, where she was found in a bathroom at 11.30pm on September 25, more than four hours after the pub closed.
NSW Police said her death was not being treated as suspicious, but an investigation is continuing into the circumstances leading up to it.
A car crash she was in with her ex-boyfriend in February last year had left her with serious injuries and the need to use a cane.
She was a passenger in a Subaru Forester when another vehicle ran a red light and smashed into it, sending it spinning out of control into a brick wall.
A GoFundMe had raised more than $35,000 for the family to help for funeral and memorial costs.
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