The Columbine community has united in grief after a school shooting survivor succumbed to cancer. Karissa Rund, 40, died March 3 after a decade-long fight with stage 4 colon cancer, friends confirmed.
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Rund survived the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, where Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 and injured over 20 before taking their own lives. Known as a "super-survivor," she endured that tragedy, a 10-year cancer battle, and the loss of her first husband, Greg Rund. A Marine and her high school sweetheart, Greg died in combat in Fallujah, Iraq, on Dec. 11, 2004.
Later, Rund became engaged to Greg's brother, Doug Rund. During that time, doctors diagnosed her cancer. Friends described the couple as inseparable. Sarah Beth Buck, a close friend, called Karissa "the biggest encourager" she knew. "Her mission of service and hope despite pain changed her world," Buck said on a GoFundMe page raising over $4,200 for Doug by Sunday.
Buck praised Doug's devotion. "He selflessly served Karissa daily, tending to her every need," she wrote. Doug handled medical tasks, cooked, cleaned, and stayed by her side through every hardship. Karissa, in her final days, worried about Doug's future. "She asked if people would support him," Buck noted. "We're here for him."
Columbine Survivor Passes
Rund's resilience shone beyond survival. She built a career as a speechwriter and public affairs specialist for the Department of Energy, FEMA, and Homeland Security. After cancer forced her retirement, she launched a nonprofit ministry to support suffering people, becoming an end-of-life doula. "She walked others through their final days while facing her own," Buck told KDVR.
Kellie Miller, a church friend, lauded Doug's support. "He dignified her medical choices," Miller said. A visitation occurred Thursday, with a funeral on Friday. Rund often reflected on Columbine, posting in 2019: "I haven't taken a day for granted since."
Her death follows the Feb. 16 passing of another Columbine survivor, Anne Marie Hochhalter, 43, from natural causes. Shot in 1999, Hochhalter lived paralyzed. The community now mourns two losses, rallying around their legacies.
