A rustling sound in the cradle at the foot of our bed.

An infectious smile and a giggle that could go on for many minutes, and brighten even the darkest day.

A baby who learned to walk before she mastered crawling — these words describe Gayle Dubowski.

A girl who was very devoted to her little brother; a competitive teammate on the soccer field, unafraid to go up against girls a head taller than her in fighting for the ball. An artist, whose anime cartoons won praise and recognition from teachers, friends, and family. Singer, pianist, piano teacher, writer, voracious reader, and loyal friend — all these describe Gayle Dubowski as well.

Gayle Marie was born on September 29, 1987, and lived her life in the Chicago area. She loved to laugh, she loved to sing. She could be heard singing at various times throughout a day around the house when she lived at home, in the residence hall at school, or in the townhouse she shared with her four roommates in DeKalb. She loved Broadway musicals, memorizing many a score.

Her favorites included Les Miserables, Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, and Little Shop of Horrors. (She was a nun in the eighth grade production of Sound of Music, and was in her high school cast of Little Shop of Horrors, appearing as one of the street urchins — a highlight of her high school experience.) Another highlight of high school for her was being chosen for Gold Tones and for the all-district choir, in recognition of her accomplishments and gifts as a soprano.

Gayle loved literature, too. If she was not singing or sketching, she was reading: Les Miserables, mystery novels by Laurie R. King, the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, books on Native Americans (both fiction and non-fiction), and the Harry Potter series were among her passions. In addition, she attempted writing her own fantasy novel, though she never finished writing it.

Most importantly, Gayle studied the Bible extensively on her own and with friends during her high school years, seeking to understand it and trying to develop her own faith and convictions. As a result of her own faith, she was baptized into Jesus Christ on June 6, 2004. From that day forward, she devoted herself to getting to know and learning to walk as Jesus did.

Her faith could be seen in her taking time out of two summers to volunteer to help the poor in rural Appalachia as part of the Appalachia Service Project, a non-profit organization that repairs homes for people who cannot help themselves. Even though carpentry was not her forte, she gave of herself willingly and enthusiastically, learning and doing all she could. She also served as a camp counselor at our church’s teen camp, setting an example for younger girls. And in school, she reached out to other girls to share with them the faith she embraced, trying to make a difference for the better in the lives of others.

Gayle chose to attend Northern Illinois University during the second semester of her senior year at Glenbard North High School. She attended a devotional held by the campus ministry in DeKalb, and was so impressed with the love and spirit of the group that she felt that she would do well at NIU with the support of such a great group of people. Thus, it was a decision of faith that brought her to DeKalb in the fall of 2006.

Neither Gayle nor her parents regretted her decision and her moving to DeKalb to attend school.

Though quiet and introspective at times, she was embraced and loved from the day she moved into Grant Hall by her church family in the DeKalb and Sycamore area, and to her parents’ amazement, she grew in confidence and maturity in the academic and social environment, and embraced her independence as she faced the world away from home. She made friends in classes as well as in church, and maintained several of these friendships her entire time in school.

In the fall of 2007, she began living with some of her new friends in a townhouse off campus, showing her growing independence and the closeness of her new relationships. In January of 2008, Gayle announced that she was declaring her major in anthropology. She chose this major in part because of the subject itself, and in part because she believed that it would afford her a chance to fulfill another dream of hers, the dream of traveling and seeing the world. In addition, she was studying Russian since her freshman year, and looked forward to visiting our church in Kiev, Ukraine, and hoped to do volunteer work with an orphanage one day.

On the day of her death, she received a voice message from the study abroad program at NIU asking her to call them back to discuss options she was exploring for studying for a semester in Europe; she never got to return that call. In her room, her parents found atlases and travel information for places all over the globe — especially Europe, Australia, and New Zealand — places she would never live to see.

Gayle’s visitation on February 19, 2008, was attended by over a thousand people, many of whom stood in line well over an hour and a half to pay their respects to her and her family. Her memorial service was held in the gymnasium of Glenbard North High School, her alma mater, and attended by over 2,000 people. Gayle, a quiet girl, who nonetheless prayed that God would use her to impact many lives just days before her death. God heard her prayer.

Editor’s note: These were submitted directly from the victims’ families of the Feb. 14 shootings to the Northern Star.