Justin and Stephanie Shults always had their eyes on the horizon.
The American couple that went to Vanderbilt University together went on to travel the world after they married in 2011. When Stephanie’s job at Mars, Incorporated took the couple to Belgium in 2014, it seemed like the perfect fit for the two adventurers.
Justin’s Franklin-based employer Clarcor created a position for him in Europe, a friend said, and the Shultses ventured across the continent often. Recently, they had made plans to venture to Finland, where they hoped to sleep in a glass igloo under the glow of the Northern Lights.
Their love story met an abrupt and tragic end last week when two homemade bombs tore through the Brussels airport. The Shultses’ employers confirmed during Easter weekend that both of them were among at least 31 people killed during terrorist attacks in the European capital.
President Obama on Sunday afternoon telephoned the parents of Justin and Stephanie Shults to express his deepest condolences, affirming that the couple “epitomized all that was good about America,” according to a White House official.
Family members struggled to find meaning in the couple’s deaths. The Shults’ loss hit particularly close to home in East Tennessee, where members of Shults’ extended family gathered Easter Sunday to privately remember the couple.
“I could not have been more proud of the man that he was,” Shults’ cousin, Ashley Shults Carr, said in a phone interview with The Tennessean. “He had worked hard for everything he had. He deserved every bit of it. He’s so smart. He earned it. I’m very proud of him.”
“It’s heartbreaking for all of the community of Gatlinburg,” said pastor Antony Punnackal after Sunday’s Mass at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church. “We support (the victims), and we’re keeping them in our prayers.”
Childhood friend Sean Toomey will always remember Justin Shults as the best of friends that life could offer. The two were valedictorians at Gatlinburg-Pittland High School, played tennis together and were dorm roommates at Vanderbilt University.
Stephanie Shults brought out a side Toomey had never seen in his friend. Together, Justin and Stephanie traveled the world, having adventures that Toomey said he was awestruck by.
“Every time I talked to him, he’d name three new places he’d been. I was almost jealous in ways. They were really living the life,” Toomey said Sunday.
Justin Shults’ family remembered a man who accomplished much in his short lifetime and the woman who shared those adventures alongside him.
Justin’s uncle, Mike Shults said Saturday that he saw his nephew for the last time a couple of weeks ago, when Justin returned home to spend time with his ailing grandmother.
“He was one of the finest young men you’d ever meet. Done well, very intelligent, succeeded at everything he ever did,” Mike Shults said. “I’ve got a son of my own. If he’ll be as good as Justin, I’ll be proud of him.”
Justin Shults’ brother, Levi Sutton, who has tweeted updates throughout the search for the couple, shared his grief Saturday using the Twitter handle @PopcornSutton__. In a tweet announcing his brother’s death, Sutton said the last thing Justin Shults said to him was that he loved him.
“We found out today that cowards took my brother’s life just weeks after his 30th birthday,” Sutton tweeted. “I was blessed to have Justin as a big brother. He was smart and kind and generous. I never met a single person that didn’t like him. He worked hard his whole life and achieved goals that most could only dream about. He traveled the world leaving each destination better than when he arrived.”
Our community mourns the tragic loss of Stephanie & Justin Shults in Brussels. We offer our deepest sympathies to their family & loved ones— Matt Bevin (@MattBevin) March 27, 2016
Vanderbilt grieves another loss
At Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management, where Justin and Stephanie Shults met and earned their masters degrees in accounting in 2009, (continue reading)