Feb 19, 2008 5:57 pm US/Central
Loved Ones Focus On Lives NIU Victims Led
Tuesday Brought More Painful Goodbyes To Shooting Victims
ROSELLE, Ill. (CBS) ―
Family and friends said goodbye to two more of the victims NIU tragedy in the Chicago suburbs Tuesday. Gayle Dubowski and Daniel Parmenter died in the shooting.
CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports amidst the sadness of the day's memorials, friends and loved ones are focusing not on the way the victims died, but on the lives they led.
So it was Tuesday at Parmenter's funeral, and the visitation in Roselle for Dubowski.
In Roselle, mourners braved the bitter cold to recall the warmth and joy that 20-year-old Dubowski brought to the lives of so many.
Christopher Zillman is a minister at NIU's Church of Christ where Dubowski sang and served.
"She shared her faith a lot on campus," Zillman said. "She was part of Bible discussions, helped serve the poor and needy when the church did."
Dubowski also sung soprano in the Glenbard North High Cchool choir, and in musicals like Little Shop of Horrors, but it was her sunny personality teachers remembered.
"She was kind to me and kind to our class," said Glanbard North teacher Claudia Richards. "She was the kind when you saw her name you were like that's good -- we're going to have a nice semester together."
Meanwhile in Oak Brook, family and friends said their final goodbyes to 20-year-old Parmenter whose 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame held within it a gentle spirit.
"I think its one of the saddest going aways I've ever been to because it was so tragic, but at the same time what a life," said family friend Larry Herndon.
At York High School as well as NIU, Parmenter was known for his empathy for others and sticking up for the underdog. Ryan Sykora was Parmenter's friend since the sixth grade.
"He would do anything for anybody. He'd give you the shirt off his back in freezing weather just to see the smile on your face," Sykora said. "That's just the way the kid was. There wasn't a mean bone in the kid's body."
A public memorial service for Dubowski will be held Wednesday night at 7:30 at her alma mater, Glenbard North in Carol Stream.
And in Mendota, Ill., visitation is also being held Tuesday for 32-year-old Julianna Gehant. She spent 12 years in the army before enrolling at NIU, and was on track to graduate next year. Her goal was to become a second grade teacher.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Video: CBS 2's Picks To Click
