For an entire semester they walked home from class together, until she could not stand it anymore. She had to know if he finally was going to ask her out.
That is how UW-Madison seniors Sara Mitchell and Daniel Gross met more than a year ago. What began as a simple walk turned into fate remembered, friends and family.
\They were each others' soul mates,"" said UW-Madison senior Krista Johnson, who was a friend of Gross since their freshman year of high school.
The couple had exchanged rings Christmas Eve and had intended to marry, but their lives were cut short early last Christmas morning, she said.
Mitchell and Gross died in a car accident when Gross' car, due to icy road conditions, slid into oncoming traffic and was struck by a pickup truck, killing the students instantly. The two were attempting to reach Mitchell's home before morning to watch Mitchell's younger sister open her Christmas presents.
Both students were planning on graduating this May. According to Johnson, both were extremely bright students and on the Dean's List.
Gross, a biology major from Mukwanogo, Wis., was a premedical student and intended to become a pediatrician. He had recently applied to medical school and wrote of ""his wife Sara"" when asked where he pictured himself in 10 years.
""He wanted to eventually be called Dr. Dan by his patients,"" said Jessie Stodola, UW-Madison alumnus and past roommate of Gross.
Mitchell, a dietetics major from Caledonia, Wis., had hoped to become a dietitian. She was a member of the Phi Upsilon Omicron? Honors Society and, along with Gross, spent time volunteering at local hospitals.
A memorial service organized by Associate Dean of Students Susan Jones was held for the two last Friday. Friends, family and UW-Madison faculty were given the opportunity to share memories of the students.
""I thought 60 seats were going to be enough for the service,"" Jones said. ""But there had to be 100 people in attendance. ... It was really wonderful.""
""Not only were they model students, but model human beings,"" Johnson said. ""They will be missed by many.\
