Jill Milosch had her whole life ahead of her and certainly a lot to live for.
Nineteen years old. A sophomore at Central Michigan University with plans to obtain a teaching degree. A winning smile. Warm and bubbly personality. Funny with tons of spirit. Loads of loving family members and devoted friends.
There’s no doubt Jill was having a good life.
That’s why it’s especially sad to report that the story of this 2003 Oxford High School graduate’s life tragically ended Sunday, Oct. 24 when she passed away as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident.
Witnesses said Jill was traveling on US-10 in Williams Township Saturday morning when she lost control of her vehicle after swerving to avoid a deer carcass in the road.
According to the Michigan State Police, it does not appear Jill was wearing her seat belt and as a result, she was thrown from the vehicle
Jill was transported to Bay City Regional Medical Facility and later transferred by helicopter to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, where she died Sunday, the result of internal injuries.
Daughter of Mark and Kathleen Milosch, Jill was raised in Oxford with her two brothers Jacob, and Luke, and two sisters Kara and Hannah. She was the granddaughter of Donald and Gerry Milosch, and David and Betty Ludwig. Jill was also the dear friend of Jeff McLenna.
Described as a warm and bubbly young lady who will be terribly missed, Jill’s friends said her loving ways and kindness left an indelible mark on hundreds of family, friends, and schoolmates
‘She was always a very caring person,? said friend Anthony Bryant. ‘She had no enemies, always nice to everyone, especially people younger than her.?
After hearing about the accident, Jill’s friends flocked back to Oxford from colleges as far away as St. Louis, gathering together to comfort one another and swap stories of their classmate.
Close to her since middle school days, friend Dan Offer said his life will forever be changed because he knew Jill.
‘I can’t say enough about her,? he said. ‘None of this makes sense except that I’m glad that I knew her.?
Offer said friends and classmates are looking into ways to ‘memorialize? Jill such as naming a star or street in her honor.
In high school, Jill was well known for her clowning around, especially as a member of the girls basketball team where she was known as one of the ‘water girls,? according to cousin Donald Milosch.
‘She was a bench-sitter I guess you could say,? Milosch said. ‘There were three of them that would play when the team was ahead.
‘She was funny and goofy, and kept the team going (with her encouragement),? he said.
Milosch said Jill and her fellow bench-mates always took great delight in hearing the crowd chant as they took the court.
Girls Basketball Coach Becky Graves agreed that Jill’s unending smile made her the biggest supporter on the team.
‘She was a great girl who loved everybody and had a smile that would light up your day,? she said.
‘You never know what a smile does to someone’s day ? Jill did,? said friend Anthony Bryant.
Bryant hopes to spread the power of Jill’s smile to comfort those who knew her, miss her and mourn her loss.
Cherish the precious moments spent with family and friends is the biggest lesson Anthony Bryant said he learned from Jill’s life.
Even after Jill left this world for the next, her kindness and compassion continued to shine on others with a final act of pure love.
With more than 70 of her family members, high school buddies, and college friends by her side at the hospital, Jill donated her organs so that others might have the chance at life she just lost.
‘She had it on her license that she wanted to be a donor,? said Donald Milosch. ‘It was a thing with her, she gave blood about every six months.?
The Milosch family wishes to recognize the kindness and support of the U-M hospital staff for accommodating family members and friends during their stay.
Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 28 at the St. Joseph Catholic Church, 715 N. Lapeer Rd., in Lake Orion. Jill will be held in state at 10 a.m.
The family will receive friends at the Modetz Funeral Home (100 E. Silverbell Road in Orion) on Wednesday from 1-9 p.m. A Rosary will be said at the funeral home at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Interment will be at Ridgelawn Cemetery in Oxford.
Memorials in Jill’s honor may be made to the Problem Pregnancy Center, 35 N. Washington, Oxford, MI 48317.