Baril, 17, of Livermore Falls died Monday at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston from injuries she suffered in a car crash on Hyde Road in Jay on Sunday. The car went off the road and hit a utility pole. Baril was a passenger in the front seat and was not wearing a seat belt, police said.

“Megan was a beautiful, wonderful mother and my closest friend,” said Penny Adams, 18, of Livermore Falls. “We related so much to each other because we both have kids the same age.”

Baril’s son, Jude, and Adams’ son, Landyn, are both 1.

The teenagers once attended Spruce Mountain High School in Livermore Falls. Baril was a sophomore and Adams was a junior.

Baril had to quit school this past fall because she couldn’t find a baby sitter for her son, Adams said. Adams, who takes classes at Spruce Mountain Adult and Community Education in Jay, said Baril had planned to start taking classes.

“She was a very quiet girl. A very sweet girl. A very nice girl,” said Sally Boivin, secretary and athletic director for Spruce Mountain High School.

Counselors were available to students and anyone else who needed them at the high school, RSU 73 Superintendent Robert Wall said.

“She was a kind soul, an amazing mother and the best sister,” Baril’s oldest sister, Serena Deabler of Wilton, said. “Her spirit will be felt and talked about forever.”

Megan Baril was the youngest of three sisters. Deabler is six years older than her baby sister. Sister Bryanna is two years older than Megan.

“Out of the three of us, I think Megan and I are most alike,” Deabler said. “We share similar interests, very girlie. Into the clothes, make-up, doing our hair, shoes, shopping … all that sassy girl stuff! But with us being so close, it meant we fought, more silly stuff that we always got over very quickly.”

Megan was very intelligent, her sister said. She loved to read. She would sit down with a book and not want to put it down. She didn’t love school but did very well in her classes, Deabler said.

“She was kind and a gentle soul with a great spirit,” she said. “She was shy, like me. Sometimes when girls are shy they come off as snobs, which is one of my biggest problems. But she didn’t.”

“Megan was a fantastic mother and shared a bond with her son that won’t be forgotten,” her sister said. “It’s hard being a young mom; I know. I was one also. But she did the best she could in providing a safe, healthy, happy and above all, loving, environment for Jude — nicknamed Baby JuJu.”

Deabler said she promised to help continue to provide that same care for her nephew. “And that is a promise I will keep forever. Whether or not he’s going to be in my care all the time, I couldn’t tell you that. But he will be a huge part of my life, just as his mother was and will always be. He reminds me so much of her. When I look into his big, baby-blue eyes, it’s almost as though I’m seeing into hers. I am so thankful we have him. She will always live on through him and that’s for sure.”

Adams said she met Baril when Baril dated her brother.

“She was always there for me,” Adams said. “We both have sons, so we got along very good.”

She said she was devastated when she learned of Baril’s death. “I haven’t been able to sleep at all.”

Their sons used to play together all of the time.

“We used to spend every day this summer together,” Adams said. “I’m going to miss hanging out with her and talking to her. I just want her back.”

dperry@sunjournal.com