QUINCY — Emily Zarnoch was just a month away from starting her new job as a middle school reading teacher when she departed for a Maine vacation with her boyfriend and his family.
On Monday night, the couple went out to explore the night life in York, and decided to walk in case they wanted to have a few drinks. They were holding hands on the stroll home just after midnight when, police say, a drunken driver ran her down and pulled away.
The impact “took her right out of his hand,” said John Zarnoch, the victim’s father. Police believe she was thrown 60 feet.
Her boyfriend called for help, and police tracked down a suspect as emergency workers brought the 24-year-old Zarnoch to a Portland hospital. Her parents made it there from Quincy just before she died.
Carolyn Lee, 21, of York, the alleged driver, was freed on bail Wednesday. She faces charges of manslaughter, drunken driving, and leaving the scene of the crash. Lee also was accused of drunken driving in 2013, police said, but ended up admitting to a lesser charge.
As Lee awaits an October court hearing, many in Quincy are mourning the loss of Zarnoch, a hard-working, engaging woman on the verge of a new stage in her career.
Zarnoch had been a long-term substitute at Central Middle School and was slated to begin a permanent assignment there in September. She was going to teach seventh-grade reading.
Quincy Public Schools Superintendent Richard DeCristofaro described Zarnoch as “an enthusiastic young educator” and described her as a ubiquitous presence inside and out of the classroom.
She taught every one of Central’s 650 students last year in her various classroom roles, he said.
“Emily was with Central’s students at lunch and recess many days, getting to know them and having an impact on their school day,” DeCristofaro said in a statement. “Beyond the school day, Emily was an integral part of many extracurricular activities, serving as a club adviser, assisting with the cross-country and track programs, and attending concerts and plays to support the students.”
Gwen Zarnoch, Emily’s mother and an educator herself at Boston’s English Language Center, had noticed her daughter’s spark for the profession. Emily was a product of the Quincy school system and had long been drawn to the classroom.
“She really cherished, in teaching, when the kids ‘got it,’ ” Gwen Zarnoch said. “She really felt that she’d made a connection and was helping them improve themselves.”
Gwen and John Zarnoch spoke outside their home, where shocked loved ones gathered, with some bearing containers of food.
Gwen Zarnoch said her daughter was always conscientious about drinking and driving, using Uber, the MBTA, or walking when she had any doubt about the safety of her travel home.
She said she hoped Emily’s story would dissuade people who might get behind the wheel while intoxicated.
“It’s just something I hope no other parent has to do,” she said of burying her child.
Police stopped Lee’s 2000 GMC Yukon about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to court records. Officers found it had a large dent on the hood, and a broken headlight with a piece of denim wedged inside the glass.
Lee told police her car had been hit while she was parked, according to the document, and said she had only two drinks after work. Lee allegedly failed a field sobriety test. Police later took a blood sample. The results were not available Wednesday.
Lee did not respond to a telephone message seeking comment.
York Police Sergeant Luke Ernenwein told the Globe that Zarnoch and her boyfriend were walking along a stretch of road that gets a good deal of foot traffic at night.
Ridge Road is near a beachside area where there are bars and restaurants that close about 1 a.m. He said crashes there were unusual, and that the road has a large shoulder. Police believe the two were walking on the shoulder.
Ernenwein described the crash as “a tragedy, really, for both families.”
“They’re both young ladies, they both have families, and both families are having a difficult time right now,” he said.
Zarnoch’s family is trying to remember their happy memories of her as they mourn.
“I am holding it together now,” John Zarnoch said. “But it hasn’t been easy.”
Material from the Portland Press Herald was used in this report. Andy Rosen can be reached at andrew.rosen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @andyrosen.