T
he Sumnicht family, friends and professors gathered Thursday, April 22 to celebrate the life and spirit of Julia Sumnicht.
Close friends tied pink and red ribbons on trees throughout campus in memory of Sumnicht. Stephanie Hoch said, “The ribbons represented the impact she had not only on her family and friends but other students, staff and professors as well.”
“We even tied ribbons around the ‘baby’ trees because we knew Julia would have wanted even the smallest trees included,” said Rimpal Kumbhani. Friends said Sumnicht was passionate about nature. The vigil took place on Earth Day.
“We tried to surprise JoJo, Sumnicht’s sister, by putting ‘We Love Julia’ on the fence near Drake field, but she saw it before the vigil,” said Johanna’s roommates.
Though the vigil was in the evening, friends felt the entire day should be dedicated to Sumnicht. In her honor, students, friends and faculty were advised to wear the color red or pink, Sumnicht’s favorite colors.
“The vigil was scheduled for 8:01 p.m. because Julia and I always thought the bells from the Clocktower were creepy,” said Mackenzie Hautala, Sumnicht’s roommate, “so, we thought we could avoid hearing those when the vigil started.”
Drake field was covered in pink and red as the UW-L community and Sumnicht family replayed the years they’ve spent with Sumnicht as they waited for the vigil to start.
Sumnicht’s brother, Stephan, made a slide show presentation of Sumnicht throughout the years. Close friends of Sumnicht spoke about her loving, kind spirit through video as well. Kevin Diedrich said, “Julia always made me do the ‘chewbacca’ impression because my voice is so deep. She was such a lively, cheerful person.” Hoch said, “Julia was outgoing, passionate and truly one of a kind. I’ve never met anyone like her in my entire life, and she always made things interesting.”
After the video presentations, the Sumnicht family said a few words. Sumnicht’s sister, Johanna, read a letter she wrote to Julia two days after she heard about her death. In the letter, she made promises to Sumnicht. Johanna Sumnicht said, “I promise not to care what others think and to live life to the fullest.”
It is evident that Sumnicht made a lasting impression on many people throughout the short time she spent in the UW-L community. Sumnicht’s mother, Marie, said, “The tribute was amazing. It was unanimous that Julia lived and loved every moment to the fullest.”
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