Jane Kulich: Citizens Bank employee, 52, named fifth victim in Waukesha tragedy
Five people were killed and more than 40 people injured after an SUV plowed through the crowd at a holiday parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin on Sunday, November 21. The police later arrested Darrell E. Brooks, a local rapper and career criminal on suspicion of plowing down his red SUV through the Christmas parade. However, no charges have been filed against him yet and his motive for the crime has not been disclosed. Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly, who was present in the parade himself, mourned the horrific tragedy saying, "Today our community faced for tragedy in what should have been a community celebration. I'm deeply saddened to know that so many in our community went to a parade but ended up dealing with injury and heartache."
The five people who lost their lives included four members of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies troupe — Virginia Sorenson, 79, LeAnna Owen, 71, Tamara Durand, 52, and Wilhelm Hospel, 81, who helped the group often. The fifth victim was identified as 52-year-old Jane Kulich, another resident of Waukesha and an employee of Citizens Bank. She was reportedly walking with the parade when the SUV sped through and fatally injured her.
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Kulich was mourned by the Citizens Bank who released a statement to honor her memory. "One of our team members who was walking with the parade float was struck and passed away as a result of her injuries. Our condolences go out to her family and friends for this inconceivable loss. Please lift our team and the entire community as we all grieve," the statement read.
According to her Facebook profile, Jane Schneider Kulich was originally from Milwaukee but later shifted base to Waukesha in Wisconsin. She attended the Juneau High School followed by Sanford-Brown College. Kulich started out her career as a server at Dave's Family Restaurant. She had also worked at Klinke Cleaners, before joining Citizens Bank Wisconsin in November 2020. Her profile also shows her to be in a relationship but further details about her partner are not clear. It is believed that she was a mother as well as a grandmother.
A GoFundMe was organized in her name by Shannon Calhoun of Waukesha. The description stated, "Our community of Waukesha has suffered a tragedy on November 21st, 2021. In the midst of that tragedy, many injured and the lives of innocent people taken. One of those lives is that of Jane. A loving, beautiful and charismatic mother, grandmother and friend to so many. The world is a much darker place without a woman like this in the world. This GoFundMe is for Jane’s family. To help cover costs along with honoring and saying our final goodbyes to someone so incredibly special to so many." The fundraiser for Jane Kulich's funeral raised $9,015 within just 10 hours of its launch.