Gillians Tones ID'd As PA Woman Who Died At National Park

Nations Parks Service officials said Tones slipped and fell into the water above St. Mary Falls on Sunday afternoon, June 23.

Witnesses said bystanders pulled her from the water after she was washed over the falls. She never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at 7 p.m., according to park rangers.

According to her obituary from Curran Funeral Home, Tones was a 2015 graduate of Apollo-Ridge High School and later studied under the Westmoreland Community College Nursing Program.

She worked as a traveling nurse and was a member of the Apollo Free Methodist Church, her obituary says.

Friends and loved ones also posted tributes on Facebook.

On a GoFundMe campaign set up to assist with funeral costs, her sister-in-law Sarah said Tones' "compassion and empathy knew no bounds."

"She was a truly bright light in the lives of everyone who had the privilege of knowing her. Her presence radiated warmth and positivity," Sarah wrote.

"She had an uncanny ability to lift the spirits of those around her. Her enthusiasm for life was one many will remember her for."

In addition to memorial costs, the money raised on GoFundMe will go toward "some form of commemoration that the family will later disclose," Sarah said.

The effort has raised more than $22,000 since it launched on Tuesday, June 25.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

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