By Deb Patterson

Editor-In-Chief

Disbelief. Shock. Those are the words many felt Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 3, when word began to spread on the death of U.S. Rep. 2nd District Jackie Walorski, and the members of her team, Zach Potts and Emma Thomson. The three, along with Edith Schmucker, were tragically killed in a two-vehicle crash on SR 19, north of Nappanee.

The disbelief was felt by many who had attended a celebration at Louis Dreyfus Company in Claypool that morning. Jackie spoke to the approximately 100 guests and employees about the importance of LDC’s expansion and growth and remembered when she first started working with company officials. Potts and Thomson accompanied her to the event.

Remembrances began flooding the newsroom emails around 4 p.m. Organizations such as Foster Success, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, Indiana Chamber, Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute, Indiana Pork, Gov. Eric Holcomb, Indiana Delegation of Senators and Representatives, individual comments from State Sen. Mike Braun, Sen. Todd Young, U.S. Rep. 3rd District Jim Banks, State Sens. Blake Doriot and Stacey Donato, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, Indiana Secretary of State Holli Sullivan, Republican Chairman Kyle Hupfer and many, many others.

She was remembered as standing her ground on tough topics, having built a legacy of selfless service, a fierce and effective fighter for what she believed in. Holcomb may have said it best by stating Walorski was known to “be a positive force of nature, a patriot and a relentless policymaker with an unwavering loyalty to her constituents. … She will be remembered as a fighter with a huge heart who always went the extra mile.”

Banks put into words how many people felt. “Jackie was a true public servant — selfless, humble and compassionate. She was a devout Christian, a passionate advocate for life. … Before Congress, she served in the Indiana Statehouse and she and her husband, Dean, served as missionaries in Romania where they provided impoverished children food and medical care … kindness and grace. She had a heart of gold.”

Jackie served as Indiana State Rep. District 21 from 2005-2010 and then as U.S. Rep. 2nd District from 2013 until the time of her death.

She served on the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs for two terms, in which she championed important reforms improving the quality and accessibility of services for military veterans and the lives of veteran constituents at home. The Indiana Delegation, along with Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, Republican Whip Steve Scalise, House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, Ranking Member Michael McCaul and Rep. Ann Wagner, introduced a bipartisan resolution to name the Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic n Mishawaka to “Jackie Walorski VA Clinic,” on Friday, Aug. 5.

Banks stated, “I can think of a no more fitting tribute than to name a VA facility in Indiana’s 2nd District after my friend Rep. Jackie Walorski. Jackie fought tirelessly to serve veterans in her district and renaming this facility in her honor ensures Rep. Walorski’s legacy of public service will live on for a long time to come.”

The following day, Young and Braun honored and celebrated the life and legacy of Walorski. The senators led a resolution honoring her and paid tribute to the other victims of the accident, Schmucker, Potts and Thomson.

“As Hoosiers share their memories of Jackie Walorski it becomes clear just how many lives she touched. Faith, family and community were the values that guided Jackie, and times of mourning show us just how important those things truly are,” said Braun.

Those who spent time with Walorski will remember her great sense of humor and her friendship. Those who knew her as a friend were always met with a hug and a genuine greeting, “It’s great to see you,” and asking about you and your family.

The Republican National Committee honored Jackie with an official resolution on Aug. 5.

I’ll always remember my last conversation with her that Wednesday. I introduced her to my son and heard her telling him how she has known me for years and that I was a good friend. We even laughed about how she always looked for me — behind the fenced-in area at the Elkhart County Fair — when she participated in the Elkhart County 4-H Fair Parade. She knew I would always be there. For my son, it was his first chance to personally meet her, and his last.