Alexa Haley LaCoste

Alexa Haley LaCoste, 22, of Pensacola, Florida, passed away on October 23rd, 2021 - only nine days after her birthday. Whether you knew her as Alexa or as Haley, you knew her as a compassionate "old soul" with wild blonde beach hair and a wonderfully infectious giggle.

Alexa Haley was born on October 14th, 1999 to Rachel Hillary LaCoste and Russell Travis Barnsdale. After attending Escambia High School, she attended college courses at Pensacola State College for two semesters before deciding that she wanted to enjoy life and figure out a major before pursuing a degree.

As an exceptionally gifted writer, she was a ghost-writer for a marketing firm and earned several Search Engine Optimization certifications. However, she soon determined that she preferred working with her hands, opting to take on a new line of work rather than relying on what she was naturally talented at. It seems she spent so much time with her dad and Cat Daddy, she felt more at home in a shop holding a tool than in an office with a pen. So, she became an Assembly Technician at Velocity Restorations, and enjoyed telling everyone she knew about the incredible six-figure vehicles she helped build.

She loved engines, racing, and motorcycles. Although she loved the track at Circuit of the Americas and proudly conquered the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, she would more often be found on a back-woods trail or a local off-road poker run; she was a competent rider on many terrains. A lover of nature and the outdoors, she also spent time camping, mountain biking, and enjoying the beautiful Gulf Coast beaches, always coming home with a pocket full of seashells.

She never met a stranger and always saw the good in everyone she encountered. Her "good vibes only" attitude led her to believe that most people and most things were genuinely "good," and she rarely saw the downside of anything. She was loving, empathetic, and blind to much of the world's evil, opting to see everything in a positive light.

Alexa Haley was predeceased by her grandmother, Leela Katherine Barnsdale. She is survived by her mother and father, as well as her sister Madison LaCoste, brother Julian "J.D." Martin, grandfather, Russell "CatDaddy" LaCoste and Carole LaCoste, grandmother Darlene "Mimi" Shaw and Kenneth Shaw, grandfather Reginald Barnsdale, and many wonderful aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, November 2nd from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, and a Celebration of Life service will be on Wednesday, November 3rd at 10:00am. Both will be held at Eastern Gate Memorial Gardens, at 1985 W 9 Mile Road in Pensacola. A graveside service will be held immediately following the Wednesday service; Alexa Haley LaCoste will be laid to rest at Pensacola Memorial Gardens at 7433 Pine Forest Road in Pensacola, next door to Five Flags Speedway where she'll be near the rumble of horsepower as often as possible.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.EasternGateMemorial.com for the LaCoste and Barnsdale families.