Eliana Winterbauer-Light 

                                                                                       November 13, 1995 – April 15, 2020
                                            _______________________________________________________________________________

This page honors the life of Eliana Winterbauer-Light and the extraordinary impact she made on the people who knew her at Marquette. During this time of social distancing, when family, friends, and colleagues cannot gather in person to remember her, we hope this page can hold a space at Marquette for Eliana’s memory. Please send pictures, tributes, and memories to maria.cooper@mu.edu, and we will add them as soon as they’re received.

Eliana graduated from Marquette’s College of Arts and Sciences and the University Honors Program in December, 2017 with a Psychology major and Philosophy and French minors.  During her years at Marquette Eliana was deeply committed to justice for all. At Marquette she was Co-President of the feminist activist organization Empowerment and a peer writing tutor at the Ott Memorial Writing Center. In summer 2016 she was a member of Sarah Gendron’s summer program in Rwanda, and with Gabby May she completed an Honors research project called “HIV/AIDS: The Unseen Predator of the Rwandan Genocide.”  After taking Theresa Tobin’s Honors class on incarceration, which she described as her favorite class at Marquette, Eliana worked as an intern at Project Return, which had a profound impact on her and continued to shape her commitments through the rest of her life.  Eliana will be dearly missed by her devoted family and friends and by all who were lucky enough to know her.

In honor of Eliana, her family and friends are exploring the possibility of a scholarship in her name for students working for justice for incarcerated people. If you are interested in contributing to this effort, please contact amelia.zurcher@mu.edu.

                                                                            Summer as Project RETURN – Eliana Winterbauer-Light   
                                                                                   From the Project Return Newsletter, Fall 2017

I only wish I could have stayed longer. The brief period of my life that I spent at Project RETURN is filled with many moments that I will long recall in all the roles that I will occupy in my life as a student, a psychologist, a family member, and community member, to name a few. I came to this internship in June with only two limited forms of experience working with individuals who have been incarcerated. I was fortunate enough to take an honors seminar at Marquette that had both students from Marquette and students from the Milwaukee Women’s Correctional Center. It rapidly became my favorite class at Marquette. My other experience was mostly vicarious. My dad was an impassioned public defense lawyer for 35 years until the month before he passed away last autumn. I was grateful for this natural segway to continue his work in another form that would inspirit my persisting connection with him.

From canvasing throughout the surrounding neighborhoods, to participating in the weekly women’s group, and to helping out on office days when I would converse about any given topic with the Project RETURN staff members…I have cherished the relationships I have formed and the greater sense of closeness to Milwaukee I have reached. I’ve learned what it means to be invested in the well-being of others, whether they are in our office, neighborhood, or city. I witnessed numerous examples when the Project RETURN crew’s care and concern did not end with their clients or with the end of their workday. Rather, the care and concern was extended to each other, all they encountered, and in their lives outside of Project RETURN. I know this is only the beginning of my growth in community work and surely not the end of my involvement with this organization.

                                                          Pictures, Tributes and Memories   

Christian Cimino
Ellie, we were friends for years, but we truly met each other in June of 2018. When we decided to travel Europe together, I came to appreciate your life energy and enthusiasm, as well as your kindness and thoughtfulness towards every person we met. Every conversation was interesting, every experience was meaningful. We showed each other how to live fearlessly in the moment and dance with the ebb and flow of life.

We fell in love with each other that summer, and that feeling persisted up until the last moments we spent together. We had plans for the foreseeable future, but I’m glad I could be there with you in the last few months of your life. Our relationship was a true gift.

You didn’t depart without also leaving your mark on every person who was fortunate enough to cross paths with you. In your life I realized how much I loved you, and in your death I’ve realized how much the world loved you. Your passions for social justice, mindful living, and sustainable practices were just some of the details that made your imprint on others so indelible. I never heard about half of the feats you accomplished, which is a testament to your wonderful humility.

Falling in love with you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done, and saying goodbye is the hardest thing I hope to ever do. Thank you for opening my heart and teaching me how to love.

Yours, Chris

               

Theresa Tobin
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Eliana was a remarkable person: a student who made teaching an absolute joy, and a person who made others better for knowing her. She was my student in three courses, but she was also my teacher. I learned from her that boldness could be gentle and that creativity often takes courage. I was inspired by her empathy, her powerful intellect, and her passion for justice. Eliana lived the values she claimed to care about. She used every opportunity in her education to grow, and to challenge herself and others to live deeply and with a fierce commitment to justice and love. Eliana was also the “glue” of a classroom setting: she brought the class together, made people feel welcome and important, and made us all laugh. I often met with Eliana outside of class too, over coffee or lunch, to talk about life, poetry, and the future. I always left our conversations with more to think about, and often also with a new poem or song to enjoy. I will miss her, and I am grateful to have known her and shared in the gift of her life. 
 
Dani Keller
Marquette University Biomedical Sciences '19
Marquette University Physician Assistant Studies '20
Eliana, you took me under your wing before we even met, excited at the mere prospect of connecting with and mentoring someone new. Surprised and bewildered at the time, I now wonder how I was so lucky to receive your unconditional love and friendship these past five years. Every time we were together, I walked away with a memorable story, something to think about, or a full heart (but often all three).  As my friend, you pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to grow emotionally and intellectually. With you leading, we found meaning and spirit in the most seemingly mundane things. You taught me how to be mindful, intentional, grateful, passionate. In anticipation of every encounter we had, I strove to have something to share that would make you proud. You have left me better than who I'd been when you found me.

As everything else you were (which are too diverse and vast to list here), you dazzled the world with your unapologetic and unwavering efforts in helping everything and everyone you encountered. You danced through life spreading equal parts serene kindness and vigorous passion for justice and equality. We all waited in eager anticipation to see what you would do, what change you would create. And though you weren't able to see life through in the ways we anticipated, you have embedded a profound and lasting mark on countless people. In both life and death, you serve as a role model and inspiration for leading a remarkable, impactful life. You are missed dearly. You are loved eternally.

 

 

Carly Westpfahl
Digital Media and English, May 2018
Eliana was the first friend I made at Marquette. We were randomly placed in a "quad" together with two other Honors students in Straz. We became a sort of duo, and our personalities complemented each other perfectly. We shared a love of music, comedy, cats, and trouble. We chose to be roommates again our sophomore year and remained close throughout our college career, forming too many memories to count. I'm certain that my first two years at Marquette would have been isolating and lonely if it had not been for Eliana. I'm also certain my life would look much different had it not been for her.

I've never known anyone quite like Eliana. From a philosophical or even practical standpoint, it seems impossible for a human to be all good, but that's what she was. She did so much for the community and for causes she believed in, never for recognition or to make a show of it, but purely because she wanted to. She saw that the world needed fixing, and took it upon herself to fix it. She always saw the beauty in the world and in the individual, something I never quite understood but admired all the same. She was ridiculously compassionate and knew how to really, truly listen. Every guy I knew was in love with her at some point in time.

She was far more talented than she gave herself credit for. Poetry and music came naturally to her. She also just had a talent for people, that much is clear.

Eliana was the kind of person to make you want to be a better human.

 

Justin Miller
Arts & Sciences: Computer Science, 2018
Eliana was one of my first friends at Marquette, and I am incredibly grateful that our friendship has only grown through the years. Never before had someone made me question so much about myself and the world. I loved getting a coffee with Eliana because I knew there would be no more than two minutes of small talk before we dove off a cliff into some deep topic such as social inequality, our views on religion, or how we wanted to grow as individuals. I could always expect three things out of a conversation with Eliana: there would never be a dull moment, I would walk away with a lot to think about, and it would always last longer than I planned.

When making plans with Eliana, I learned quickly to set a timer about 45 minutes before I was actually available because she was notorious for running late all the time. It took me a while to realize this was because Eliana was having these deep, emotional, helpful conversations with every soul who dare cross her path.

Eliana found a way to improve the lives of others while working to find her own way through this world, a level of compassion and thoughtfulness that I have not found anywhere else in my life. Eliana’s positive impact on her community will live on, but it hurts to think about how much more she had to give to this world. I am honored to have been a part of Eliana’s life. Eliana, thank you for all you have taught me, all the love, and all of the laughs. See you on the other side, friend.

 

                                                      Global Village Tributes to Eliana