Julia Gilbert Remembered By Friends, Family

By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

EDMOND, Oklahoma -- An Edmond family is coming to grips with their loss 24 hours after their daughter was found killed in a car wreck.

But the parents of OU student Julia Gilbert are grateful for her life--and the efforts of those who tried to locate her.

Julia Gilbert was 21 and hoping to become a teacher in France, a country she loved and whose language she had mastered.

But all her dreams came crashing down last weekend. Julia's car was finally located near a bridge in Kingfisher County where she had apparently run off the road.

Lots of friends and complete strangers joined law enforcement in searching for her after she was reported missing. And this after, Julia's mother wanted all of them to know her gratitude.

"We want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for the tremendous and overwhelming support and love and compassion that they've all shown through this ordeal," Julia's mother, Laurel Gilbert, said.

Julia's family says the OU student had struggled through the worst year of her life, coping with Lyme's disease, but she never lost her smile, or her willingness to help others struggle with issues of faith.

"One thing that she worried so much about was that young people her age, especially young men, didn't seem to have faith, they were agnostic," said Laurel Gilbert. "She worried about that because the love of God was so important in her life."

Julia's roommates in Norman miss their friend more than they can say.

"I would just say that Julia was one of the sweetest people I'd ever met," said Julia's friend Holly Roe. "You didn't have to know her a long time to know that she had the best heart and would do anything for anybody. She was a completely selfless person."

Their house is full of memories of Julia--lots of photos, and of course, the painting.

"It's kind of a memorial with Julia in it," said Julia's friend Nora Parker. "It's one of the first things we see when we walk in. It's the first thing everybody sees."

A memorial service for Julia Gilbert will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond. Her funeral will be held on Thursday at 11 a.m. at the same church.

The State Medical Examiner's Officer said Julia died from a fractured neck. Toxicology results will take at least a month.

More on News9.com:
- Edmond Police Find Julia Gilbert's Body in Wrecked Car
- OU Student's Death Brings GPS Tracking Technology to Light