Our service at St. Luke's this morning was heavy with sorrow as we grieved the loss of Tara Willenborg. She was found murdered in the early hours of Saturday morning in the apartment she shared with her boyfriend in Clarksville.
At 17, her life ended far too soon, and the circumstances of her death have left us all stunned and shocked. Our prayers go out to her parents, Todd Willenborg and Kelley Curran, and her siblings Todd Jr., Colleen and Derek. The details of services and ways to help the family are below.
We will gather in the coming days to remember Tara not just for how she died, but how she lived---her compassionate spirit, her cupcakes, her art, her commitment to loving animals (and practicing vegetarianism), her love of all things zombie.
Tara was confirmed at St. Luke's in 2009, with her brother Todd and sister Colleen. At her confirmation, she kneeled on the chancel steps and vowed to live a life with God. We laid our hands upon her head and shoulders, assuring her that she would not walk alone, that God would be with her, no matter what this life might throw at her. May we take comfort this day in knowing that God never left Tara's side, and that she is now safe and secure by God's side.
Neither will God leave us in this hour of grief, but the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, will come to us with healing, hope and whispers of resurrection.
