As the search for her killer continues, friends remember Jean Tuggy.
Tuggy was murdered inside of her Pine Grove Mills home last month. She died from a gunshot wound to the face and police still don’t know who did it.
But those who knew Tuggy best don’t want people to remember her for how she died. Instead, they want people to remember how she lived.
“One of the things I’ve probably learned from Jeannie is that it’s good to be able to lean on other people,” Aaron Henning, Senior Pastor of State College Alliance Church, said. “It’s good to be able to say I need help.”
Those in the State College Alliance Church community called her Jeannie. She served as the church librarian and drove hundreds of kids to and from school. She battled cancer once and was fighting it again when she was killed.
“She would look for the bright side,” Susan Barron, a church Bible study leader, said.
Barron will remember a warm, sweet-natured, affectionate woman. Someone who was humble. She and others struggle to understand why someone would kill Tuggy. They hope for closure.
“I think she would want them to come forward and confess,” Barron said. “But she would want them to know that she forgives them.”
The church will host a prayer vigil in Tuggy’s honor Sunday, February 21 at 6:30 p.m. Anyone is invited to attend.
There is a $5,000 reward for anyone who submits information about Tuggy’s death that may lead to an arrest in the homicide case. You can submit tips to tip@centrecountycrimestoppers.org.