Jaime Guttenberg, 14, was one of 17 victims of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Jaime Guttenberg, 14, was gunned down along with 16 others in Florida school massacre
Fourteen-year-old Jaime Guttenberg was six months into her freshman year at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School when she was gunned down by a troubled former student armed with an AR-15 automatic rifle. The beautiful young girl was a beloved daughter, sister and friend. An outpouring of love for Jaime came from people who knew her best and people who never met her.
In a Facebook post, Jaime’s aunt Abbie Youkilis was quoted as saying: “Jaime was in the 9th grade. She was a pretty girl with the world’s best smile and her soul was sensitive and compassionate. She was intelligent and feisty and she danced with beauty and grace. She always looked out for the underdog and the bullied and she probably had been kind to the student who shot her. She planned to grow up and become a mommy and an occupational therapist.”
Images on social media of Jaime show an upbeat, happy girl but mostly they show a girl who not only loved to dance but had a talent for dance. She attended Dance Theatre at Parkland, and was a member of the “DTX family.” A post from Michelle McGrath Gerlick, president of Dance Theatre, is at once a moving tribute and a heart-wrenching look at the beauty and talent of the teen, struck down on Valentine’s Day.
A fellow dancer suggested in a comment on Gerlick’s post, “Can we find out what her favorite color and wear a ribbon in her honor at competitions this weekend? It’s so heartbreaking.”
A Facebook post from a Guttenberg neighbor tells the story of a wonderful family and a gentle and kind girl.
There’s no ability to post or comment on the page but her father Fred has posted that the family is asking for privacy until they are able to “figure things out.”
Fred Guttenberg posted this heartbreaking post early Thursday morning. On Wednesday he posted a plea for information on his daughters whereabouts. His son was safe, he said, but his daughter was still missing.
“My heart is broken. Yesterday, Jennifer Bloom Guttenberg and I lost our baby girl to a violent shooting at her school. We lost our daughter and my son Jesse Guttenberg lost his sister. I am broken as I write this trying to figure out how my family get’s through this. We appreciate all of the calls and messages and we apologize for not reacting to everyone individually. Jen and I will be figuring things out today and so we ask that you respect out privacy. We will be getting messages out later regarding visitation. Hugs to all and hold your children tight.”
Thousands of people from around the world are commenting on Mr. Guttenberg’s post; from Australia to Sacramento with comments like: “I don’t know you, but my tears are flowing and my heart is broken for you and your family. There are no words that can be offered to help at this time, but please know prayers, love and condolences goes out to you and your family.”
Fred Guttenberg featured this picture of his daughter from August of 2017 when they visited Skidmore College.
At Thursday night’s candlelight vigil, according to the Palm Beach Post, Fred Guttenberg, choking back tears said, “This makes no sense…this is impossible. My girl, my 14-year-old baby… For those of you who knew my baby, she was the energy in the room. She made people laugh and, yes, sometimes she made us cry. But she always made her presence known. I sent her to school yesterday. She was supposed to be safe. My job is to protect my children, and I send my kids to school. In the morning, sometimes, things get so crazy. She runs out and goes, ‘I gotta go, Dad. Bye.’ And I don’t always get to say I love you. I don’t remember if I said that to Jaime yesterday morning.
“Jaime was such a special kid. All of the kids here are. What is unfathomable is Jaime took a bullet and is dead. I don’t know what I do next. My wife is home. We are broken.”
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