Roughly 150 people gathered in the Gables Community Center last Thursday night to honor the life of UNH student Justine Erunski with a candlelight vigil.
Erunski, 20, died in a car accident last Saturday while traveling to the Pumpkin Festival in her hometown of Keene, N.H. Her mother, Kelly Erunski, and UNH students, Jenny Provo and Jocelyn Lubniewski, were also seriously injured.
The candlelight vigil was put on by the UNH Housing Department and the United Campus Ministry. Representatives from the campus counseling center were also in attendance at the event.
"I wanted to be able to offer something for people who were affected," said Nate Talbot, the Gables residence director and one of the event's organizers.
"This will give people a place to show support and be able to talk," Talbot said.
Students and faculty members alike attended the event in hopes of finding closure and to show their support for Erunski and her family.
UNH Chaplain and Executive Director Larry Brickner-Wood led the event and encouraged students to share their memories of Erunski and participate in moments of silence.
"I used to not like silence. There's an awkwardness about it," said Brickner-Wood. "But someone who filled up such a beautiful space in our community is gone, so there needs to be silence."
A classmate of Erunski, who wished to remain anonymous, said the vigil gave people a chance to gather and really think about what they were feeling.
"It was definitely part of the healing process for me," said the student. "Justine was such a happy and memorable person. It was nice to be able to focus on the positive things that happened and talk about memories that we have had."
"I want to remember who she was," said sophomore Ashley Galicki, who was one of Erunski's floor mates in Jessie Doe last year. "She always had a gorgeous smile that lit up a room and a caring and friendly nature."
Brickner-Wood also knew Erunski personally and shared some of his memories with the crowd. "I am grateful that I had Justine in my life the past few years," he said. "She was a person of great humor and great wit. She never pretended to be perfect, but she always smiled through it all."
Perhaps one of the most poignant memories shared at the vigil was told by one of Erunski's friends who studied abroad with her in Italy last summer.
She told the audience that a group of students, including herself and Erunski, had spent a day climbing in the Alps. Erunski struggled with the climb, as did the rest of the group, but she was determined and never gave up.
When she finally reached the top, Erunski jokingly shouted, "Damn it, I broke a nail!" She made everyone laugh and raised the spirits of her fellow classmates.
"That's just who she was," said the student. "She never took herself or life too seriously. She just had such a zest for life."
Numerous stories like this one were shared by Erunski's classmates and friends. They talked about her dedication to her schoolwork as she majored in nutritional sciences, her intense love for her family and her beautiful smile.
The stories evoked both tears and laughter from the audience. They brought back fond memories for those who knew Erunski personally and made her real to those who didn't.
Table-sized pieces of paper and colored markers were laid out for students to write their memories and goodbyes to Erunski. Candles were lit toward the end of the ceremony to a performance of the song "More Love" by the Dixie Chicks, the lyrics of which expressed the tone of the vigil: "To take us and hold us and lift us above/ If there's ever an answer/ It's more love."
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