MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - A teacher who died in a Madison school shooting last week was remembered on Monday for being a dedicated wife, mother to three girls, and a devoted Christian.
Erin West was from DeForest and was an in-house substitute teacher and substitute coordinator for the school. She had previously worked at ALCS for three years as a substitute teacher before moving into a full-time position.
Nate Kaloupek, a friend of West, spoke at her funeral service Monday.
"What was abundantly clear was that Erin loved Jesus. She loved her husband Jack, she loved her girls and she loved us, her church family," said Kaloupeck.
"Those of us who were blessed to be her friend and blessed to be in community with her knew that Erin loved Jesus very much," said Kaloupeck.
Doxa Church Lead Pastor Rob Warren said that he spoke with friends of West leading up to the service, who described the teacher with many words.
"They called her a light, a friend, caring, trustworthy, loving, compassionate, empathetic, devoted, faithful, generous, kind, passionate, authentic, helpful, supportive, prayerful, thoughtful, and a fighter," Warren listed.
The pastor said those 18 words barely began to describe her life.
"The truth is guys, there is so much more we could say about Erin's life, her story, her character, her personality," Warren said.
She was remembered by her congregation for her strong faith, which Warren said the congregation is also leaning on during this time.
Kaloupeck closed his speech by giving a message on West's behalf.
"Something she would want me to say is, I love ya'll," Kaloupeck said.
Visitation began at 10 a.m. and went until the service started at noon. The funeral service was held at Doxa Church, located at 2700 Novation Parkway, in Madison. A video of the service livestream is available here.
The funeral home told WMTV 15 News that the family allowed media to attend the funeral.
A celebration of life and funeral was held over the weekend for 14-year-old student Rubi Vergara, who also died in the shooting.
As of 2 p.m. Monday, 1,036 donors have contributed $136,000 to a fund supporting ALCS families.