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Wauzeka’s Angels Fitness Center now open

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Trinity and Lena, daughters of Adam and Rebecca Bartels, passed away Jan. 19, 2016, in a house fire in Wauzeka. Funds from their family benefit that followed have been put toward a school and community fitness center in their memory.

Adam and Rebecca Bartels (center) cut the ribbon April 13, officially opening the new fitness center in honor of their beautiful daughters. The room inside Wauzeka-Steuben School is open to students, faculty and staff during the school day and the community after hours. (Submitted photos)

Wauzeka's Angels Fitness Center at Wauzeka-Steuben School is open to anyone in the community for a minimal membership fee to cover expenses of running it after hours.

By Correne Martin

They were two sisters who loved to dance.

Trinity and Lena Bartels were unforgettably graceful, young ladies—one shy and the other friends with everyone—who touched a lot of lives, even if they never knew it.

Their polite personalities and beaming smiles were infectious. They had caring hearts and never judged others. They loved to travel and take cruises, experience different countries and cultures, and swim, run and twirl to music. They enjoyed eating ice cream, engaging in academics and extracurriclars, dressing up and attending school events.

“They complemented each other,” their mother, Rebecca Bartels said. “Trinity was always a very shy girl with a big heart. She just went to school and came home. She kept to herself and had a couple close friends. We always told her, ‘That’s all you need.’

“Lena was the peacemaker; she absolutely loved life. She was more outspoken and worried about things. She was a big hugger, even to the teachers when she started school.

“They rarely ever fought. They were the best of friends.”

Trinity and Lena were a true light, a blessing—to their parents and to the village of Wauzeka and its Wauzeka-Steuben School District. When the girls, ages 15 and 12, passed away in a fire in January 2016, the tight-knit community was shaken. It was a tragedy that changed the town forever.

Their parents, Adam and Rebecca, have struggled many moments of nearly every day. But they keep taking one day at a time, both working full-time, spending time with family and participating in community events.
“Some days are better than others,” Adam said. “We are just so thankful for everything—the prayers, the donations.”

“This is a really hard journey to bear,” Rebecca stated. “I think [the community has] done all they could in helping us find our feet again.”

Adam and Rebecca have been overwhelmed by all of the support they’ve received from their hometown, school system and worldwide. They believe they couldn’t even manage to fight through the tough times without such genuine concern and affection from others.

“These girls touched a lot of lives,” Adam noted.

Memorial fitness center
Trinity and Lena will perpetually leave inspiration for the community not only through their charming memories, but also by way of the new Wauzeka’s Angels Fitness Center. Located inside the W-S school facility, it was established via a $47,000 gift to the school district, for the purpose of building the fitness center.

By virtue of a community benefit and donations as well as online crowdfunding gifts, the Bartelses made it known they wanted to use some of those generous funds to give back to the community in their daughters’ memory. So, on April 13, the fitness center officially opened. A simple yet emotional ribbon cutting ceremony followed a dedication to Trinity and Lena. The small group attending were the girls’ parents, school administration and some of their close friends.

Inside the fitness center are leading-edge fitness and health-centered machinery, weights, balls and more. The room will be open 24 hours a day, with security camera surveillance, and used by students, faculty and staff, and community residents. It will be staffed Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 6 p.m. for public access, though after-school hours will be available by key fob technology). Nearly 20 community members have signed up for memberships at a minimal fee meant to cover expenses. Memberships can be purchased monthly or yearly.

“[A fitness center] was the district’s goal last year and we tried different ways to raise money. But it wasn’t really until we received this donation that the idea finally gained traction,” District Administrator Rob Sailer said. “We felt this fitness center fit the lifestyles of Trinity and Lena closely. They liked to run and dance and play.”

“Tiffany [Dums, the principal], came to us and said, ‘We’d like to have a fitness center and we’d like to have it named after the girls.’ The school has been very supportive and we wanted to do something,” Rebecca said.

At the head of the fitness center is a mural, painted by passionate seniors Lydia Mullikin and Trenton Feran, which represents the sisters dancing in the nighttime sky. In the picture, Trinity wears a pink tutu and Lena a purple one. It also displays the lyrics to the song, “I Remember,” written by Ezra Romanov, a friend of the Bartelses who also lost a child:

“I remember your smiles, I remember your jokes, I remember your love, you gave people hope. Frown on the day, smile by night. You both have gone to heaven, everything’s all right.”

Adam and Rebecca want their daughters’ memory to spread goodness. They still sense their presence regularly and believe Trinity and Lena would desire the same. They’d like to think their girls would have grown into very caring, successful adults.

“They would’ve been the kind of people this world needs more of,” Adam said.

Now, they can only dream of what they’re doing in heaven. “I imagine they’re just seeing the world, singing and dancing,” their mom said.

“They’re both up there making sure we’re OK, checking up on us,” their dad added.

Adam and Rebecca continue to spend their free time doing the activities the girls loved by taking trips.

“They loved to see new things, meet new people,” Rebecca shared. She actually started a Facebook page after the girls passed, In Loving Memory of Trinity & Lena Bartels, on which she shares pictures, quotes and thoughts. It’s part of her personal healing process and she feels it may help others.

Trinity and Lena experienced whatever was offered to them before leaving this great big world. They were just two kids in a small town who brought radiance and movement to those around them. Now, the Wauzeka Angels Fitness Center can keep that legacy going.

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