KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — Wednesday was a somber day at Lugoff-Elgin Middle School with not everyone present.
Some students and staff are taking time to grieve and heal after learning the news that Wilma Guzman-Perez, an eighth grader, unexpectedly died over the weekend.
She was from Kershaw county, but the Richland county coroner's office confirms she died there.
"When we initially informed students in their classrooms with their teachers, there was really just shock. It was very unexpected, and they had a lot of questions in their heads, but they weren't necessarily ready to ask those questions," school counselor Katie Cooper said.
"I was reading it and everything, and I was very upset and sad because regardless, anybody passing away, no matter who it is, it's just sad. Having four kids and your heart stops like, that could've been my child," Lugoff-Elgin parent Tara Barry said.
A horrible tragedy of a life taken way too soon.
Wilma's homeroom teacher, Julie Stockman, wants to remember the light that Wilma was to everyone around her.
"I remember her being kind and considerate of others, and I think that's the legacy she leaves to us is that she enjoyed life. She knew what was important in life, and I hope that I continue to remember that when I have moments when I get down and I've had a stressful day and I think I can't go on anymore, I'm going to think back to Wilma. Being in here and remembering that students like Wilma are the reason I do this job," Stockman said.
Stockman says Wilma loved school, was a hard worker and always did her best. She'd even arrive to school early.
"(She was) never a behavior problem, would always flash a smile, but super quiet in class," Stockman said. "Now, in the hallways and at recess and lunch, it was a different story. Wilma's laughter filled the halls. She always was surrounded by a group of friends. She had a couple of really close friends and they were just full of smiles, full of laughs, having fun. I would describe Wilma as somebody who lived life to the fullest."
Wilma's mother even came to the school Monday afternoon to express how much she appreciated her daughter's teachers.
"To have a parent come in and express that they were thankful, it meant a lot, especially during her time of grief. It let me know why Wilma was the student she was," Stockman said.
She's a girl no one will forget here in Lugoff.
There will be a funeral service for Wilma this Sunday, November 14, 2021, at 1 p.m. at Friendship Baptist Church in Columbia, SC. The address is 1237 House Street.
Her burial will take place later in Guatemala.