Two decades after the death of a Leawood college student, her friends and relatives gathered at a Prairie Village church to celebrate her life.
Stephanie Schmidt was a 19-year-old student at Pittsburg State University in 1992 when co-worker Donald Ray Gideon kidnapped, raped and murdered her.
After Schmidt's death, her parents turned their attention to advocating for victims and spent most of the past 20 years pushing for more stringent laws and longer sentences.
Stephanie's Law, which allows the state to keep certain sex offenders confined to mental facilities after they serve their sentences, was passed in her honor.
Sunday, Schmidt herself was the focus of "Sing Out for Stephanie," aimed at honoring the life of the person she was. She would have celebrated her 40th birthday earlier this month.
"I think the important thing is that we have gone on with our lives. We have her in our lives every day. Stephanie knows we are doing this," said her mother, Peggy Schmidt. "It's a good time and (we're) remembering memories of Stephanie growing up."
Stephanie Schmidt's young nieces attended the celebration, which gave them the chance to understand why she was so special to so many people.
Yahoo Fantasy Football Nick Foles Auguste Rodin Breaking Amish Indianapolis explosion mike brown bcs rankings
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.