On Jan. 17, 1996, a magnificent thing happened when such a soul was born in tune with the enchanting things of nature into this world. A soul that spoke with the universe and understood its natural flow along with its hints of chaos, sharing nothing but a bright light into people’s lives that probably needed it.

No matter what may have happened, Rylee was that light for me at times. My name is Ryan Schobel, and me and Rylee shared quite a wonderful life together. She was the mother of my children, Lorelei Schobel and Jude Schobel and she was one hell of a mom. She taught me how to be a good parent with the care and love she had for our little ones.

She would do everything in her power to ensure they had the most perfect of lives, even when life wasn’t so perfect. I remember coming home from work and they’d either be singing and dancing together, having nerf battles, or even a Splatoon tournament. She taught them right from wrong, how to take good care of yourself and your pets, how to light up a room, and so very much more.

She loved those kids more than herself and that was very clear with the amount of sacrifices she made for them. Jude and Lorelei love her so much too, they were so happy any time they got to be with their momma and watch spooky ghost videos or even ghost hunts when they were together. They didn’t just do that though; they’d always come home to me with so many stories of all the fun things they did together.

One of their absolute favorites was karaoke night at Molly’s or at Shaw’s Bend. Rylee lived very close and would take the kids any chance she got so that she may sing with her favorite people in the world. Their favorite song to sing was “Dream On” by Aerosmith, I truly believe this was the song she chose because she was such a big believer in following your dreams. She always encouraged me to pursue my art, and that’s a big reason why I’ve gotten as far as I have today. She did that for the kiddos too; she encouraged them to be as creative and themselves as they can be because she knew how important that was for this life and how special they are.

Rylee was a big animal lover, every so often when we were first together, she would surprise me with a new animal. I’ll never forget the day she brought home Sage, our cat, and got one for my parents too so they couldn’t say no to keeping her. She felt very clever about that because it worked like a charm. In the last days of Rylee’s life, she was lucky enough to get her favorite job she’s ever had, working at the Columbus Zoo.

I remember how excited she was when she got the job and even got to train their horse for them. She was a very talented horse trainer and absolutely loved them as animals, she told me many stories of her youth when she was around horses all the time and how happy they made her. One of her other favorite animals at the zoo was the parrot that supposedly hated women but ended up absolutely loving her within days.

She’s told me a lot of stories with that bird, one of her favorite ones being when he would grab onto her hair and swing around to play. She just let him too, she was a kind soul to not only people, but animals as well. Her favorite pet was her dog named Teddy, who she had since she was a child. She absolutely loved that dog to pieces, and you could tell with all the care and love she gave him.

Rylee’s parents were John Shortridge and Anita Lynn Eikenberry. She always told me so many stories about them and how much fun she had with them as a child. Sadly, I never had the chance to meet Rylee’s mother for she had passed away when Rylee was in high school, but she had so many fond memories with her.

She absolutely loved her mother and I’m sure she’s up there with her catching

■ SCHOBEL, 17 up like when she was a kid and dancing around and singing with Jude. Her best friend in the world was Katy Gray, they had been best friends and sisters since the day they met each other. Even after all of those years, Rylee and Katy would talk to each other like they were never apart.

We had many family vacations to go see her and you could tell how they brightened each other up instantly. Rylee had many close friends here in Columbus too. Some of her soul sisters were Bethany Gesch and Sam Moeckel. She would have a girl’s night with them every so often and probably be doing something witchy. She had many other close friends too; she was a very loved individual.

Rylee was truly one with the universe and a light that could brighten a whole room. She would ask the universe for answers in an effort to help others by connecting to the spirit realms when she would do readings for them. She was very proud of her talent as she should’ve been because anyone who’s gotten a reading from her can tell you how accurate it would turn out to be. She loved drawing energy from crystals, making moon water, reading tarot, a truly witchy soul.

The full moon shines brightly as the stars dance all round tonight. A beautiful soul is now truly one with the universe as she smiles down upon us all. You will be very much missed Rylee Eikenberry by so many people. Thank you for blessing us with your presence and touching so many lives. I’ll see you in the next life.

A memorial service was held on Monday, May 12 at 2 p.m. at Henneke Funeral Home in Columbus. Visitation at the funeral home was from 12 noon to 2 p.m.

Memorials may be given to Columbus Zoo Texas, 2107 State HWY 71, Columbus, TX 78934.

Online condolences may be given at www.hennekefuneralhome. com.