October 27, 2013, 10:38 pm
(NECN: Nicole Jacobs, Andover, Mass.) - The smile on her face is genuine. Even as a child, she could light up a room with it.Colleen Ritzer had a huge heart, her friends now reflecting on the positive memories.'She was a wonderful, inspirational person. She was an inspiration to all of us. She was an inspiration to me to live my life to the fullest, every single day,' said college roommate Caroline Rufo. 'Such positivity all the time.'But her time on Earth was cut short after she was brutally murdered last week. Police say one of her students, Philip Chism, carried out the crime in the very building where she was living a dream.Laura Fogarty was Ritzer's first preschool teacher.'I fell in love with her,' said Fogarty. 'She was my Colleen.'They shared a bond - one that allowed Ritzer to walk down the aisle as a flower girl for Fogarty, who now works in law enforcement.'I'm no stranger to tragedy and evil,' said Fogarty. 'But this has rocked me to the core.'It did the same for hundreds, who paid their respects by the bus loads at a wake in Andover Sunday, showing her family how their daughter and sister was truly loved.'When they see the students come in, that touches them so much because they know how those students felt about Colleen,' said family friend Bunny Monteiro.Now, everything about Colleen they cherish, from her funny sayings to her loving spirit they'll never forget, choosing to remember how she lived and not how she died.
Tags: massachusetts, Danvers, Andover , Nicole Jacobs, Philip Chism, Danvers High School, Colleen Ritzer, Caroline Rufo, Laura Fogarty, Bunny Monteiro
Posted by Unknown on Sunday, October 27, 2013 - Rating: 4.5
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