In the midst of the pain, colleagues of a murder victim have found a way to honor their friend.
In February Maria Osterhoudt was found shot to death in her Spring Hill home. Her husband, Alan, is charged with second-degree murder.
The loss is still difficult at St. Petersburg College Tarpon Springs where Osterhoudt taught for 11 years.
“Right now I’m teaching one of her classes,” said Chrissy Risberg, professor. “The course is an online course and it is riddled with audio and video of her in the class. It’s been difficult to look at the assignments and see her face and her voice.”
Instead of dwelling on the past, Osterhoudt’s colleagues are focusing on the future. Friday morning they planted a garden on campus, a tribute to the beloved professor.
“She loved gardening. She loved nature,” said Dr. Conferlete Carney, SPC Tarpon Springs Provost. “She loved people and she was an artist. She painted and she loved colors. And I think when they sit here and enjoy this beautiful garden they will remember her and the things she loved and how she spent her time and dedication to the things she loved to do.”
More than 20 staff members worked together on the labor of love.
“The tree in the center is a red bud tree,” said Carney. “And that tree happens to bloom in the February/March time frame, which is the time we lost her. And there is a circle here that looks like an O and that will remind us of Professor O.”
Along with the memorial garden the school has also created a scholarship in Osterhoudt’s honor. The college is collecting donations for the scholarship.
If you’d like to donate, you can write a check to the Maria Osterhoudt Memorial Scholarship Fund. The check can be sent to S.P.C. Foundation, P.O. Box 13489, St. Petersburg, Fl, 33733.