With teary eyes, more than 115 people filled Shirley Brothers' Castleton Chapel Wednesday to celebrate a sophomore's life.
Remembered for her originality and confidence, Jennifer Pokorny, 19, committed suicide in Woodworth Complex's Crosley Residence Hall Thursday. The Rev. Jon Hudson said no one can know why Pokorny decided to die and in doing so, she left a challenge.
"What we must do is pick up her challenge and build real relationships," Hudson said. "So when somebody's life begins shaking again, we're there to bring peace."
Jennifer Pokorny, a Landscape Architecture and Design Major, moved to Indiana from Fresno, Calif., her junior year of high school. She lived with her father, Anthony Pokorny, and attended Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. She was a former member of Alpha Omicron Phi sorority.
Anthony Pokorny said his daughter should've been on the debate team with how well she made her point. He said she knew she was smart, and her quiet confidence made him proud.
"I used to cry sometimes just thinking about how lucky I was to be her father," Anthony Pokorny said. "Whatever she set her mind to, she could accomplish."
He described waking his daughter after she came home at 3 a.m.
He imitated her exasperation, as she was lying in bed, begging him to let her sleep longer.
"I'd go in and marvel at her perfect ears, her eyebrows, her collics," Anthony Pokorny said. "I'd kiss her forehead, tell her I loved her, and she always said 'I love you too, Dad.'"
Ginger Castle, Jennifer Pokorny's friend from California, described driving around Fresno with Jennifer and passing notes written on Styrofoam cups.
"We'd spend hours trying to find something to do," Castle said. "She was such a thoughtful person. She'd come home, and we'd pick up right where we left off."
Ryan Williams, a member of Theta Chi fraternity, said Jennifer Pokorny never caved in an argument. She also tolerated his singing when no one else would, Williams said.
"We had a pretty interesting relationship," Williams said. "She would always sing Justin Timberlake right along with me."
Dave Matthews Band played softly on the funeral home's speakers, as guests shared memories after the service. Anthony Pokorny said his daughter, nicknamed "The Bou" by her parents, didn't realize how many lives she touched.
Hudson said Jennifer Pokorny would prefer mourners to deal with her death and move on.
"Get over it. Go on. It sounds harsh at the moment," Hudson said. "In reality, that's what she'd want us to do."
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