Missing Maria
Rehoboth community mourns loss of foreign exchange student

Greeters pin a prayer ribbon honoring Rehoboth student Maria Hölscher on to Christine Wenger, right, and others in the foyer of the Rehoboth Church Thursday. [Photo by John A. Bowersmith/Independent]

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer

"Hope is a gift that is not handed to us during easy times. It comes to us as a candle in the darkness. It will come to you in your darkness now."

— From an e-mail sent to the Rehoboth High School Choir by Gulf Coast resident Beth Mouch, who had met Maria Hölscher during the choir's recent "Tour of Hope"

REHOBOTH — On Palm Sunday last year, German teenager Maria Hölscher wrote a prayer to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

"Regarding the US: I want to give EVERYTHING and want to take everything in like a sponge....," she wrote. "I strengthen my love to you. I am sure that my time in the US will be a test for this love. I therefore ask you to guide me and help me find out how I can 'touch' people."

On Palm Sunday this week, Hölscher, 17, died from injuries she sustained in an automobile accident on I-40, just east of Sky City. Based on the tearful farewell several hundred mourners gave to Hölscher on Thursday, it was apparent the young German girl with the sunny smile touched countless lives during the nearly eight months she lived in the United States.

Hölscher's life was remembered and celebrated in an emotional memorial service at the Rehoboth Christian Reformed Church. Hölscher had been a foreign exchange student at Rehoboth High School since August 2005.

A junior at the school, Hölscher had been traveling with four other Rehoboth students when their vehicle spun off the highway and rolled over multiple times. The group was heading to Santa Fe to participate in a Model United Nations Conference. The other four students survived. Jason Landavazo and Natasha DeVries were treated for minor injuries and were released the day of the accident. Mag Kim and Jennifer Krzymowski sustained more serious injuries and are still hospitalized. Hölscher had been living with Krzymowski's family in Gallup.

Broken hearts
"We're a community with broken hearts," said Ron Polinder, the school's executive director, who opened the service. Referring to a verse from Psalms 147, Polinder reminded the mourners that God heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.

Describing Hölscher as "this wonderful Maria who came into our lives and blessed us," Polinder drew parallels to Hölscher's death on Palm Sunday, Christ's suffering and death during Holy Week, and Easter's promise of resurrection and eternal life.

Through prayers, music, readings, personal recollections, and photographic images, the memorial service celebrated Hölscher's life, her spirit, and her faith.

According to Bill Krzymowski, Hölscher's local host family "father," Hölscher arrived in Gallup last August, floating on "Cloud Nine," after attending the Catholic Church's World Youth Day in Germany and hearing Pope Benedict XVI speak.

Krzymowski's wife, Susan, said the celebration drew Catholic youth from around the world, who, like Hölscher, came to celebrate their love for God. Susan Krzymowski brought up two of Hölscher's funky trademark hats and a flag from World Youth Day. She planted the flag in the flower arrangement at the podium and left Hölscher's straw hat decorated with buttons, pins, and red fabric draped around the hat band sitting on the podium. For the remainder of the service, the flag and hat served as brightly colored reminders of Hölscher's infectious smile and irrepressible personality.

Faith and funny quirks
Students, friends, teachers, and school officials recalled numerous stories that spoke to Hölscher's funny quirks and deep spiritual faith. Although Hölscher arrived at Rehoboth with limited English skills, she was a dedicated student who spent hours translating school assignments with a dictionary and ended up earning straight A's on her English assignments. She picked up American slang and peppered her conversations with "Awesome" and "Oh, whatever." She joined the soccer team, the track team, and sang with the high school choir. Hölscher's last trip with the choir was during it's recent "Tour of Hope" to Mississippi and Louisiana.

Several flower arrangements and e-mailed messages of condolence were sent to Thursday's memorial by people from the Gulf Coast who had met Hölscher.

High school principal Tim Stuart, who has lived in Germany, shared that he will be flying to Germany next week to attend Hölscher's funeral. Stuart read an e-mail that was sent to the school by Hölscher's mother, Barbara, and Hölscher's brothers, Roland, Heiner, and Kai.

In their grief, the family reached out to comfort Jason Landavazo, Hölscher's classmate who had been driving the students to Santa Fe. Landavazo lost his own brother, Joshua, in a tragic accident on I-40 in October 2002 when the brothers, their father, and two friends stopped to help another motorist. Joshua was killed when an out-of-control vehicle struck him.

"We know that Maria would want that," the family wrote of their concern for Landavazo and the other students. "She loves you and she will be with you and comfort you with music, songs, her great smile and her trust in God."

Maria's family ended their e-mail with a plea: "We have one thing we would like to ask you. Please fasten your seat belts when you are in a car. Maybe you can save yourselves and your loved ones a lot of grief."

High school choir members concluded the service with several songs they had sung with Hölscher. Choir co-director Bob Ippel admitted that performing the music was "the hardest thing" the choir could do, but he added a hopeful message.

"Today is a day of mourning," he said, "but Easter is coming."

In addition, Ippel said, although the Rehoboth community was grieving the loss of Hölscher, they were grateful that the other four students had survived. Ippel promised a celebration when the last two students are able to leave the hospital and return to school.

— Reporter Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola can be contacted at (505) 863-6811 ext. 218 or ehardinburrola@yahoo.com.