Tribune photographer Colleen Harrison can be reached by calling 507-379-3436 or by emailing colleen.harrison@albertleatribune.com.

As most of you probably know by now, the Albert Lea community tragically lost one of its own this weekend when Sophie Stultz, 8, passed away Saturday after getting into a bicycle accident.

Sophie’s mother, Sarah, is the managing editor of the Albert Lea Tribune. To us in the newsroom, Sarah is our boss; and to everyone else at the Tribune, she is a colleague. To all of us she is a friend, but she’s also so much more than that. Sarah is easily one of the smartest, kindest, most genuinely good human beings on this earth. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen her selflessly give her time to help not just us at work, but so many others in the community. Sarah is the kind of person who helps without being asked, without expecting anything in return.

Being so dedicated to her profession, there have been numerous times when Sarah has brought Sophie and her son, Landon, into the Tribune office with her. Every single time they’ve been in our office, it has always been filled with laughter, fun and excitement. Every time they’ve been in our office it has reminded me of how simple and wonderful life usually seems to a child.

Sophie always came up to everyone in the newsroom to say hi, to tell them a story or make them laugh. She has gotten just about everyone to color, decorate Christmas trees or play games in our office each time she visited.

She was so much like her mother in that she wanted to know the answers to everything, and wanted to know everyone. She was such a sweet and outgoing little girl, and I know that’s no coincidence. How could she not be that way, knowing who her parents are?

These past few days I’ve thought about those office visits so many times. I think I can speak for everyone at the Tribune, and everyone in our Albert Lea community as a whole, when I say that our hearts are breaking for what Sarah and her family are going through.

The outpouring of support and inquiries into what can be done to help the Stultz family is no surprise, but it’s still amazing all the same. It’s a testament to not just the goodness in this community, but to the goodness of the family this community is rallying behind.

The GoFundMe page for the Stultz family has taken off, and we’ll be planning other ways to both help Sarah and her family through this time as much as we can while celebrating Sophie’s life in the process. Please feel free to contact me if you’d like to join in any way you can.

As we’ve said previously while reporting on this situation: communities come together in times of tragedy, and Albert Lea is no exception.

Sarah, Jason and Landon: know that we are all behind you, and that is where we’ll stay.