SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio — Sunday evening, community members gathered on the front lawn of Stow City Hall for a candlelight service in honor of 25-year-old Megan Keleman.
Keleman was shot and killed on Wednesday evening in the drive-thru of a Taco Bell on the border of Stow and Cuyahoga Falls. The shooter, 53-year-old Jason Williams then shot himself.
“It’s one of those things that you look at and you go, ‘why?’” said John Pribonic, Mayor of Stow.
Many in Stow are still desperate to find an explanation for the tragedy, and over a hundred people showed up to pray and remember Keleman’s life.
Cole Tawney, a pastor at the Keleman’s church spoke to the crowd during the service. He says he went to the scene that night to support the family.
“Receiving a call like that is troubling, it’s difficult, it’s hard,” said Tawney. “I think trauma hits all of us differently, and it affects us in ways that we might not recognize right away. But it’s important to be with others, it’s important to reach out.”
Making up the crowd were friends of Keleman, life-long residents of Stow, former classmates, and church leaders.
The main message of the night – the city of Stow will walk through this together.
“Stow is a place where we look out for one another, we care for one another and when something happens to a family, it happens to all of us,” said Tawney.
Keleman was a student at Cleveland State University. Over the weekend, University President Laura Bloom released this statement:
Dear campus community,
I am saddened to share the news that Megan Keleman ’22/‘24, an alumna from our Monte Ahuja College of Business and staff member, was killed on Wednesday, Aug. 14 during an incident in Cuyahoga Falls. This is an active police investigation, and CSU does not have any additional information at this time.
Megan was a recent graduate from CSU, having completed her Master of Business Administration this past May. She also earned her bachelor’s degree from CSU in Finance and Financial Management Services. During her time as a student, Megan was an active leader on campus. For more than six years, she worked in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, initially supporting campus tours and new student orientations before serving as a graduate assistant. She also was a founding member and president of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, president of the Panhellenic Association, director of finance for our Student Government Association, and editor-in-chief and managing editor for The Cauldron.
Megan believed in the impact of non-profit organizations on our communities. Along with her MBA, she completed a Certificate in Non-Profit Management. For the past two years, Megan had been working for Shelter Care, Inc., a residential treatment and crisis intervention program for children in Tallmadge, Ohio. She was also an active volunteer, coaching young girls as part of the Girls on the Run nonprofit organization and raising funds to support Special Olympics Ohio.
To honor Megan's memory, the City of Stow has organized a candlelight vigil for this Sunday, Aug. 18, starting at 7 pm (rain or shine). The vigil will be on the front lawn of Stow City Hall (3760 Darrow Rd, Stow, OH 44224), and candles will be provided.
The loss of a member of our community is difficult, and it impacts all of us differently. Faculty and staff members in need of emotional support or professional mental health assistance can contact Impact as part of our Employee Assistance Program at (800) 227-6007 for live and immediate assistance. And students, remember that the CSU Counseling Center is here to support you. They are available for phone consultations 24 hours a day at (216) 687-2277 or for urgent requests (call-in or in-person) weekdays from 1 to 3 p.m. You can also schedule an appointment online.
We send our deepest sympathies to Megan’s family, friends and loved ones. We have lost a caring, engaged and optimistic member of the CSU community. As a talented writer, Megan herself once provided advice on handling such tragic situations, and I suggest we all consider her words. “Happiness is forceful,” she wrote in a 2020 article for The Cauldron. “Surrounding yourself with positive people is a great way to help you in challenging times because their happiness is contagious.” Be kind to yourself and each other in the days ahead.