RIP Jule Marie Kovar

I don't know why this is so hard. Maybe it's because she was so young. Maybe it's because I saw all of her best friends desperately mourning her loss. Maybe it's because I wittnessed her unconsolable friend screaming out "why did it have to be me to watch her die!" Maybe it's because I will miss her smiling face! The Times Herald published an article on the front page of the paper (shown below) and I sold several while I was at work that day. I teared up with each paper that I put in a bag. Yesterday I went to the showing and there was a beautiful video of pictures of Jule that got me crying pretty hard. The whole thing was hard because I HATE crying in front of people. I hate it because I hate not being strong and the tears are a sign of weakness. Then Craig said I would thank him one day if I went up to the casket to see her body. I'm not thanking him yet. In fact, I had to leave the funeral home. I couldn't just couldn't handle it! There she was, without her beautiful smile looking completely lifeless and I couldn't handle it. I AM weak, aren't I? There were just too many people. I still don't feel like I've let it out yet.....
I just need a hug!
And to Jule, you are a beautiful girl, and you will definately be missed, especially when the youth group gets together. I, for one, will always miss your smile and upbeat attitude. I was always jelous because you had this level of confidence that I could never achieve. Your death has shown me so much, and I will never be the same. Thank you for the long life you lived in those 14 short years. Rest in peace, Jule!

Times Herald
"Family and friends are mourning the death of a fun-loving 14-year-old Fort Gratiot girl who was only weeks away from starting high school in Port Huron.Jule Kovar, the daughter of former Port Huron school board member Anna Kovar and Dr. Richard Kovar, drowned Wednesday in Lake Huron while swimming with a friend at Grand Bend Public Beach in Ontario. The friend's mother, who has not been identified, called to the girls about 7:30 p.m., but Jule was unable to make it out of the water.Grand Bend Public Beach is on the eastern shore of Lake Huron about 50 miles from Port Huron.Jule was an avid tennis player and a well-known face at the Port Huron Tennis House. Earlier this month, she played in the Francis J.Robinson Memorial International Tennis Tournament in Sanborn Park. She was preparing to enter her freshman year at Port Huron Northern High School.Dave Brown, Jule's longtime tennis coach, said the teen was spirited, well-liked and loved to have fun. He and several others learned of her death Wednesday night and have been trying to cope with the loss."It was a rough night, it's been a rough day, it's going to be a rough time period here for people at the tennis house," he said.Police said a 17-year-old Beachville, Ontario, boy tried to use a boogie board to rescue Jule and had to be pulled from the water.Jule attended Cornerstone Church in Clyde Township where she was active in the church's youth program. Friends had a vigil Thursday night at the church.Youth Pastor Craig Coon said Jule had a lot of close friends at the church, which she started attending a few years ago. She was excited about her upcoming baptism in Lake Huron on Aug. 26 at Lakeside Beach in Port Huron."She loved life and was always smiling," he said.John Byrne, chief administrative officer of Lambton Shores, Ontario, said the drowning occurred on the beach south of the Ausable River. Lifeguards are stationed only at the north beach, he said, and the south beach is posted as being unsupervised.Someone almost drowned on the same stretch of beach about a week ago but was rescued by a passerby.Wednesday's incident appeared to be caused by the waves, Byrne said. Police said the waves were about 3 feet high. "There were windy conditions, and the swells were several meters high," he said.Jule was found about 8 p.m. on the south side of a nearby pier. She was taken to South Huron Hospital in Exeter, Ontario, but had no vital signs and was pronounced dead a short time later.The 17-year-old boy who tried to help her also was taken to the hospital for treatment. He was treated and released."