'She was a light': Family, friends recall teacher killed in Abundant Life school shooting
MADISON, Wisconsin — Family and friends came together Monday to remember the life of Erin West, the teacher killed in the Abundant Life Christian School shooting on Dec. 16.
Snow fell outside the Madison's Doxa Church, where the service was held. Inside, Christmas trees stood alongside flowers sent to the mourning family. Hundreds sat silently, listening to friends and family tell stories about the kind, generous and empathetic 42-year-old. They spoke of how she touched so many lives, and would be remembered for her common refrain of "love y'all."
West, a substitute teacher coordinator at Abundant Life Christian School, was killed along with 14-year-old student Rubi Vergara when a 15-year-old student pulled out a gun in a study hall and began firing.
Pastor Rob Warren called West a "wonderful, godly woman" and spoke of her strong Christian faith and passion for sharing the gospel of Jesus. He and his worship team shared West's favorite songs at the service including "In Christ Alone," "Forever and Ever Amen" and "All Hail King Jesus."
"The reason that we're here today is because something absolutely horrific has occurred," Warren said. "There are so many thoughts, so many emotions, so many questions just swirling around my mind right now, where I'm still just trying to make sense of everything and just kind of put the pieces together, and it doesn't make sense."
Erin West looked forward to her anniversary and a trip to Disney
Friend Nate Kaloupek spoke about how West met her husband, Jack, in a Christian chat room – before Jack was a Christian and before meeting someone online was commonplace. They would have celebrated their 20th anniversary in May.
"What was abundantly clear was that Erin loved Jesus," Kaloupek said. "She loved her husband, Jack. She loved her girls, and she loved us and her church family."
Kaloupek said West was excited to take her daughters to Disney World in the spring and "showed her Georgia roots" every time she shared a genuine "love y'all."
"There's so much we're all going to miss," he said.
He shared how West volunteered to help watch his children, and that she planned to get specific medical training to better do so.
"My family has gone through a medical issue with our baby over the last couple of months, and Erin led the charge," Kaloupek said. "She organized the meal train. She dropped everything to babysit. I found out at a group recently we were at that she was going to learn whatever medical stuff she needed to, to be able to watch our baby."
Talking to others in his congregation, Warren said he heard how loved West was.
"She was a light, a friend, caring, trustworthy, empathetic, devoted, faithful, generous, kind, passionate, authentic, helpful, supportive, prayerful, thoughtful," he said. "And the truth is, there's so much more we could say about Erin's life, her story, her personality, her character."
West was born on Sept. 10, 1982, in St. Charles, Missouri., to Larry and Teresa Etherton. West graduated from Harrison High School in 2000 and Kennesaw State University in Georgia in 2005. She married Jack West in 2005. They had three daughters, Emery, Laurel and Adleigh.
West worked as a teacher at Abundant Life Christian School for four years. She enjoyed family camping trips, attending school sporting events, serving at Doxa Church, and spending time with her daughters and the rest of her family, her obituary said.
Police don’t know if the shooter, Natalie Rupnow, was targeting anyone specific, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told the Journal Sentinel.
Six other students were injured, two with life-threatening injuries, before Rupnow killed herself with her own gun.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.