A candlelight vigil, in honor of Rachel Pomeroy and others who died over winter break while driving to or from Pullman, will take place at 8 p.m. Thursday on top of the Holland/Terrell Library.

Pomeroy died in a car crash Sunday afternoon on State Route 26, just west of Washtucna, on the way back to WSU. Juniors Kaylee Lawrence and Brianna Parmentier, close friends of Pomeroy, are hosting and speaking at the event.

As a roommate and friend of Rachel, Lawrence said the vigil is about honoring her and others who lost their lives this winter. They invited the public to come to share stories and celebrate the students’ lives together.

Due to Pomeroy’s love for candles, they asked those who come to bring scented or colored candles to light.

“Rachel was a huge candle person,” Lawrence posted on the event page. “I can’t count all of the ones in our apartment.”

In response to this event, others have decided to light candles in different places at the same time. These include cities around Washington and Idaho like Gig Harbor, Snohomish and Lewiston, as well as other states and countries like Connecticut, Mississippi, New York, Montana and England.

People will also gather on the west side, at Lake Tye Park in Monroe, in order to avoid driving in the dangerous conditions to Pullman. Both events can be found on Facebook.

A bank account, Rachel Pomeroy Benefit Memorial Fund, is set up at Wells Fargo so the public can donate to Rachel. There is also a GoFundMe account with the same name.

“Rachel was that ray of light everyone needed in their day,” Lawrence said. “I can’t even begin to count the times that she has been there for not only me, but for others whenever they were in need of a friend. She truly was a beautiful person inside and out.”