PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WHDH) - A lifelong friend of a woman killed in a mass shooting at a Pawtucket, Rhode Island ice rink Monday is speaking out; reminsicing on childhood memories with her friend and remembering her as a supportive mother.
Jules Rathbun says many of her memories with Rhonda Dorgan took place at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, the scene of the deadly shooting.
“We used to skate there as children. And actually Rhonda was the first one to teach me how to ice skate in that very rink,” Rathbun said.
Rathburn said she was shocked to find out there was a shooting at the ice rink Monday and that Rhonda was among those killed.
“That rink has been a part of her life since we were children, and for it to be where she left us was a little bittersweet,” Rathbun said.
Rathbun said Dorgan was the ultimate cheerleader, both as a teen with pom poms and as a mother coming out to support her kids.
“She was a true hockey mom I think first and foremost, but she was there cheering them on every step of the way, cheering them on in life, cheering them on in sports,” Rathbun said.
Rathbun said she had a pit in her stomach when she initially heard about the senior night hockey game taking a tragic turn. She said she assumed Dorgan would have been there, so she reached out.
“I messaged her right away,” Rathbun said. “I said ‘Rhonda, call me right now’ and of course, no response.”
Rathbun said she is speaking out now to take the light off this senseless shooting and shine it on her friend.
“Her legacy will now lie with her children. Her remaining children. That’s where her legacy will lie. Her children were her life. She supported them in any way, they were her greatest treasures,” Rathbun said.
The two women were inseparable growing up, lost touch, and reconnected as moms. Rathbun said their last communication was a month ago.
“We were trying to get together for a lunch or coffee just to catch up and I’m kind of mad that never happened,” Rathbun said. “You hear about these things all across the world, you never think it will happen next door, never mind a friend. So it’s heart wrenching.”
Rhonda Dorgan was 52-years-old. She is survived by two children, her sister, and her two parents who remain in critical condition as a result of the shooting.
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