Junior Chloe Amundson passed away March 3 from an incident that occurred during her recovery from pneumonia.

Nancy Leitch, Amundson’s mother, said she wants people to remember Amundson’s individuality.

“I want people to remember that she was not afraid to be herself,” Leitch said. “She was unique. She was funny. She was loving, generous.”

Junior Leah Hulett, a close friend of Amundson’s, said she hopes people remember her in a positive way.

“I just want people to know that she was such a great person,” Hulett said. “She was so great to be around, and she made everyone happy.”

Leitch said from the time Amundson was in kindergarten she was always dying her hair different colors.

“One thing she was always very insistent about was having wild hair,” Leitch said.  “She had her hair pink stripes, purple stripes; she had her hair all red, she had her hair all purple.”  

Junior Hannah Selvig said she remembers when she met Amundson on the first day of school. They had two classes together, and Selvig said when she realized they both knew Hulett, Selvig reached out.

Selvig said because they knew no one else in class, they often talked, and became close.

“We were the only two in those two classes. We didn’t really talk to anybody else,” Selvig said.

Selvig said she took art with Amundson, and recalls her love for drawing.

“She was really good at drawing. She had a notebook — not really pictures, just doodles,” Selvig said. “Sometimes people, but it would mostly be flowers and random stuff.”

Sara Sonnabend, one of Amundson’s art teachers, said that Amundson definitely had talent.

“She had gifts and art was one of her gifts,” Sonnabend said.

Hulett said Amundson had a carefree attitude and loved to explore.

“She didn’t really care what people thought about her,” Hulett said. “She was funny and really goofy and outgoing and she liked to adventure.”

Junior Ingrid Larson, another close friend of Amundson’s, said her honesty, fun personality and loyalty made her a great friend.

“Every time we hung out was an adventure,” Larson said. “She was so open to meeting new people, and she wasn’t judgmental at all.”

Junior Bryn Feltl, another close friend of Amundson’s, said Amundson’s energy was evident in everything she did and spread to those around her.

“She always lived each day to the fullest and each day was a new adventure for her,” Feltl said. “You could never keep a smile off your face when you were with her.”

Leitch said her daughter was always very bold.

“What everyone probably knows about her is that she was pretty sassy,” Leitch said.

Larson said Amundson had a strong personality and was a loving friend.

“Chloe was a sassy person, she was so sassy. If you didn’t know her, she seems rude, but if you get to know her, she was super sweet,” Larson said.

Scott Miller, Amundson’s history teacher, said it will be hard to look at the her empty seat for the remainder of the year.

“It’s strange because she sat in the same seat for both semesters, so it’s gonna be tough to look back there and not see her,” Miller said. “She will be missed, no doubt about it.”

Leitch said she will miss Chloe dearly.

“She was really special to me and we had a really close relationship,” Leitch said. “She and I had a special trip planned in a few weeks we were going to go to Amsterdam and Paris just the two of us. It would have been incredible. It breaks my heart.”

The funeral will be 11 a.m. March 9 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church. Visitation begins one hour before the service.