Attendees at Juniper Blessing’s celebration of life made origami butterflies and were encouraged to leave them in places that would make Blessing smile.
SANTA FE, N.M. — Family, friends and teachers honored slain University of Washington student Juniper Blessing during a celebration of life service in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday.
People who Blessing impacted gathered at the New Mexico School for the Arts to remember Blessing’s life by sharing stories and memories.
Blessing was fatally stabbed at an off-campus UW student apartment May 10.
Blessing graduated from the New Mexico School for the Arts in 2024 before going on to study at UW.
The school said Blessing was a “extraordinary musician,” and videos shared by Blessing’s family show them performing at choral concerts at both schools. Blessing was selected for the New Mexico Music Education Association’s All-State Conference three years in a row.
At the celebration of life, loved ones remembered Blessing’s personality that “lights up rooms” and made smiles “contagious.”
“Juniper was always a person whose warmth, love and kindness brought together people from different backgrounds, different cultures, and different communities, and because of how Juniper treated them, everyone felt valued,” Blessing’s family said in a statement.
When Blessing died, their family said Blessing, who was a transgender woman, was happier and more comfortable with who they were than they ever had been.
Blessing’s family said Blessing loved to make origami butterflies and enjoyed putting them in unusual places where people might find them later. After the celebration of life, attendees made origami butterflies to honor Blessing. Attendees were encouraged to put them anywhere that would make Blessing smile.
As Blessing’s family tries to heal, the suspect in Blessing’s killing remains jailed on $10 million bail. Christopher Leahy was charged with first-degree murder and awaits his arraignment hearing June 4.
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