Submitted Photo A service will be held today at 1 p.m. at Park United Methodist Church for Emmaline Wilcox.

Emmaline “Emma” Wilcox loved to show off new dance routines to family members. After all, she wanted to be a dance and ballet teacher when she grew up.

A natural athlete, the 7-year-old loved to move and cheer up a room.

“She did all kinds of dancing,” said Aaron Wilcox, Emma’s cousin. “Ballet, tap, cheerleading — she wanted to get into all of it. She was an all-around athlete, and every time we saw her she would show us a new move or cartwheel.”

Emma was on her way to dance practice Monday with her mom, Shanna, when she tragically died in a multi-vehicle crash on Route 60 in the town of Pomfret.

Friends and family will meet for a funeral service today at 1 p.m. at Park United Methodist Church in Sinclairville. There, Aaron Wilcox said he expects to hear tales of Emma and “her smile that could light up a room, no matter how you were feeling. She could turn your mood to the brightest.”

Emma was born Dec. 26, 2012, to Christopher and Shanna Wilcox of Cassadaga. She was a first grader at Sinclairville Elementary School.

Aaron Wilcox, who is attending Jamestown Community College for physical education, was significantly older than his little cousin. He noted that Emma was born around the time he was celebrating his 17th birthday.

However, no matter the age difference, he said they were both kids at heart. He recalls both knew just how much Nesquik powder to add to a glass of milk: 1 scoop for a small glass and 2 1/2 cups for a large one.

The bonding meant a lot to Aaron Wilcox, who last saw Emma on Sunday where she performed in Slippery Rock, Pa. He said he had just returned home Monday from college when he saw he had three missed calls, two from his father and one from his grandmother.

“I called my dad and he told me that something had happened,” Aaron Wilcox recalled.

“He didn’t go in-depth but I broke down. I asked, ‘How could this happen,’ and I asked God why? I just broke down.”

Aaron Wilcox said he was on the way to the hospital in Dunkirk when the family received confirmation that Emma had passed away.

“There was this huge sense of grief and sadness,” he said. “Once we got to the hospital we were all told what had happened. … She’s an angel now, but she was certainly an angel when she was here.”

With the loss, Aaron Wilcox said he hopes more can be done to highlight the dangers of traveling Route 60 and the need to create more passing lanes. He noted that his father works for the New York State Department of Transportation.

“Through these times there are lessons to be learned,” he said. “Tell all your loved ones you love them because you just don’t know when…”

A GoFundMe page has been established to help the family cover funeral costs and other expenses. Aaron Wilcox said the family has been flooded with support from the community.

“We just want to thank everyone for the outstretched arms the community has given us,” he said. “The many donations; the prayers; the hugs. It all means a lot.”