Gayle Dubowski, left, with her cousin Alisha Balogi who performed on the song "Hey Love" honoring Gayle.

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Gayle Dubowski, second from left, is surrounded by her brother Ryan, father Joe and mother Laurel at a summer party two years ago.

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Gayle Dubowski, and her father Joe and at Niagra Falls in the summer of 2007.

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Gayle Dubowski, and her mother Laurel at a party in the summer of 2006.

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Gayle Dubowski, and her cousin Christian Ramaker, who wrote the lyrics to a tribute song in Gayle's honor.

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Gayle Dubowski ,left, mugs for a picture with her brother Ryan and cousins George and Alisha Balogi who helped write and produce a song in Gayle's honor that is available at cdbaby.com where proceeds go to a charity for Russian orphans.

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Joe and Laurel Dubowski talk about how they have been coping since the death of their daughter in the shootings at Northern Illinois University.

Joe Lewnard | Staff Photographer

Joe and Laurel Dubowski talk about how they have been coping since the death of their daughter in the shootings at Northern Illinois University.

Joe Lewnard | Staff Photographer

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Courtesy of the Dubowski family

Profiles of students

Nicole Berns
Jenna Broderick
Samantha Brunell
Dan Ciamprone
Patrick Korellis
Monique Caspillan and Lhee Santos
Desiree Smith
Kevin Sundstrom
Jillian Thomas
Lindsay Ullmann
Chris Werve

Profiles of victims

Gayle Dubowski
Catalina Garcia
Julianna Gehant
Ryanne Mace
Daniel Parmenter

"She lived quietly, but powerfully"

Rainfall is bittersweet for Ryan Dubowski.

He is reminded how much his sister enjoyed the rain. And he is reminded of her absence.

When they were kids, Gayle Dubowski would drag her little brother into the cul-de-sac in front of their Carol Stream home to play during downpours. As if she was trying to make the best out of an otherwise bad situation.

"I think it was just more spontaneous because most people were like 'eww, rain,' and instead she was unique and she wanted to be different about it," the Wheaton Academy senior said. "Instead of staying out of the rain, she would jump in puddles and hang out under a broken gutter and get all drenched."

When it's raining, that's when he misses his sister the most.

Gayle, 20, was one of five Northern Illinois University students killed by a gunman who opened fire inside a lecture hall Feb. 14. Her family relies on their memories, their faith and the love others have for Gayle to help them cope.

Dotted throughout their house are reminders of how much their daughter meant to someone. Copies of poems and lyrics from songs written about Gayle are mounted and framed. Keepsakes from friends rest on the family's shelves. The outpouring of sympathy has overwhelmed them.

"It's been amazing just how much people have reached out and put their arms around us and given us a lot of support," said Gayle's father, Joe Dubowski. "Not only prayers, but helping out with everything we went through in the weeks after the shooting, the support and encouragement we got hasn't stopped and we're just so grateful for all that."

Gayle, like many in her family, was musically gifted. She sang and played a number of instruments. It's where this otherwise shy girl was arguably most comfortable.

"I listen to music a lot and there are so many songs that make me immediately think of her and bring up memories of her," her father said.

Before her death, Gayle was learning the Russian language in hopes of one day traveling to the Ukraine to volunteer at an orphanage there. Friends and family are making sure her dream of helping those children didn't die with her. A foundation that benefits those orphans was created from unsolicited funds donated in Gayle's memory - about $7,000 came inside cards sent to the house, said Laurel Dubowski, Gayle's mom.

"From reading her journals I know she prayed to God to use her in a big way and she knew He had a plan for her life," Gayle's mother said. "She just wanted to be used by Him in a great way."

In the wake of Gayle's death, Ryan Dubowski said he has gathered strength from his sister's faith.

"I really never grasped it when she was still with us, but now she's gone I can look back over her life and see her genuine pure faith in God and His plans for her," he said. "She lived quietly, but at the same time powerfully."