POTSDAM, New York (WWNY) – People have spent the last few days sharing their memories of 21-year-old Elizabeth Howell, the SUNY Potsdam student who was murdered last Friday.
They remember her as fun and friendly; a normal college senior, who also loved to play the cello.
“Her passion for what she was doing is the first thing that stuck out to me,” said Danny Neri, who knew Howell.
Howell was a cellist in SUNY Potsdam’s Crane Symphony Orchestra. A memorial now inside of the lobby at Crane’s concert hall. People leaving pictures, flowers, and notes.
Neri says he was friends with Howell, and will remember her passion for music.
“She was an incredibly dedicated musician, and practiced – like honestly, more than anyone that I can think of at this school,” he said.
Several people took to social media to remember Howell. One user writing, “Rest in peace you beautiful, amazing soul that this world didn’t deserve. You were one of the most caring, talented people I have ever met.”
Another person wrote, “I am beyond lucky to have known her. She was fierce, talented, beautiful, so smart, and was there for anyone and everyone.”
One fellow musician says she wasn’t too close with Howell. However, she said, “Every encounter I had with her was positive and she was kind enough to spend her time, no matter how last minute, rehearsing with me.”
Neri says he’ll miss the routine encounters with Howell.
“I’m going to miss her smiling every time I see her in the hallway. You know, just like how genuinely happy she was to see me and the rest of the people that knew her,” he said.
Neri says the SUNY Potsdam community is small, but it’s a community of empathy and everyone is experiencing her loss together.
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