Thrusday, January 07, 1999
Schulenberg friends fill church
Slaying was jolt to those who love her
BY SUSAN VELA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Carlie Schulenberg
|
EDGEWOOD — A mother's keening sobs punctuated the quiet of St. Pius X Church Wednesday as those who knew Carlie Schulenberg, an Alexandria native murdered in Florida last week, gathered.
“It's so terrible,” sobbed Ms. Schulenberg's mother, Connie Ward, as she embraced a young woman at the church Wednesday evening. “How did it happen? She was so happy in Florida.”
Many, like Mrs. Ward, shed tears and expressed confusion over the grisly death of someone who was so happy and vivacious.
“It's so senseless,” one mourner said.
“It's so sad,” said another. “It breaks my heart.”
Ms. Schulenberg, 24, was stabbed to death in her Orlando, Fla., apartment. Her body was found on New Year's Eve. Randy Montgomery, the maintenance supervisor of Ms. Schulenberg's complex, has been charged with her murder. He lived four doors down from her and had helped her move into the apartment complex seven months ago.
He faces life in prison if convicted of a first-degree murder charge. He is in a mental observation cell at Orlando County Jail. He has been denied bail and is under a suicide watch.
Ms. Schulenberg, a 1997 Northern Kentucky University graduate, moved to Florida seven months ago to become a children's acting coach and choreographer.
At Wednesday's visitation, the line for those waiting to pay respects stretched almost the length of the church — from near the altar, where mourners embraced Carlie's parents, Mrs. Ward and Bob Schulenberg, to the church's front door, where visitors crammed in to avoid the cold.
The casket was closed, decorated with yellow flowers and pictures of Ms. Schulenberg. There were at least 50 floral arrangements in the church foyer. They accompanied words of support to Ms. Schulenberg's relatives and special messages to Ms. Schulenberg.
“Carlie,” one read, “I'll meet you at the top.”
In the foyer, there also were programs for the productions Ms. Schulenberg had been in and photographs that showed her growing from a beaming child to a smiling, attractive woman who often mugged for the camera.
One mourner said she'll never forget how Ms. Schulenberg was so happy and lighthearted that she was like a balloon who needed a brick tied to her feet so that she wouldn't float away.
A young woman who knew Ms. Schulenberg from her theater work agreed, saying that her friend and fellow NKU theater major could carry a production with her humor and talent.
“She was everyone's friend,” said the woman, who was crying as she left the church. “She was always happy. She could always make everyone laugh. It's been horrible. It's unfair and it's a shock.”
A Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. today at St. Pius. Burial will follow at Mother of God Cemetery in Covington.
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