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As winter loosens its icy grip on the soil, spring crops are sprouting, and farmers are busy harvesting and planting, staring down the long end of the growing season here in Virginia. But this week, the farming community around Richmond came together for another reason entirely — to mourn the loss of Lucia Bremer, daughter of Jonathan and Meredith Bremer of Liberty Tree Farm in Louisa County.
The Bremers shared the news of their daughter’s passing in a Facebook post on Saturday, March 27, saying, “Liberty Tree Farm is saddened to report that our beloved daughter and joyful farmer, Lucia Whalen Bremer, was killed in a senseless act of gun violence on March 26. Thank you for keeping our family in your thoughts as we navigate the next few weeks. If you have any information to help support the ongoing investigation, please contact the Henrico County Police at 804-501-5794.”
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, “Bremer, 13, was shot around 4:30 p.m. Friday while walking in the 1900 block of Hickoryridge Road in the Gayton Forest West community, just behind Godwin High School. A 14-year-old boy was arraigned in Henrico County Juvenile Court on Monday morning in the fatal shooting.”
“The Bremers are salt of the earth, good people; the community they've built around them definitely speaks to their character and the way they take care of others,” says Jen Sullivan, manager of the West End Farmers Market, which the Bremers co-own.
Earlier this week, Sullivan formed a coalition with three other area farmers markets — The Farmers Market at St. Stephen’s, The Birdhouse Farmers Market and the Center for Rural Culture/Fall Line Farms — to provide support for the family. Sullivan, along with other market managers, is organizing the offers to harvest, work market booths, drive delivery routes and tend to other needs as they arise.
“So many people want to support this family,” Sullivan adds. “As soon as we post a need, be it helping on the farm or raising money for a memorial scholarship, it's met. We have such a long list of people eager to help.”
Katie Hoffman of the Center for Rural Culture/Fall Line Farms says, “There was no hesitation among these four markets about coming together to make sure that the Bremers are taken care of during a time of need. We're able to do more together than we could individually. As for our own market, the first people to get in touch with me from our community were the other farmers, who, as busy as they already are, wanted to offer their help keeping Liberty Tree Farm going during this difficult time.”
Sullivan says the news hit the market community hard on Saturday morning. Vendors stuck around to process their grief, sharing stories about Lucia with each other. “One said he would always watch Jon and Lucia working together at the market and envision what it would be like to work with his [own] daughter when she grew up,” Sullivan says. “Another told stories about pulling honey with Lucia when she was a little girl and giving her her first chicken.”
Janet Aardema of Broadfork Farm, who vended alongside the Bremers at The Farmers Market at St. Stephen’s, says her entire staff has offered to volunteer their skilled help at Liberty Tree on any of their days off.
"We are touched by the generosity of our staff and grateful to be part of such a loving local farm community," Aardema says, adding that there was no doubt the community would rally around fellow farmers in need, and because the Bremers were direct-market farmers selling to consumers, they formed strong connections with the broader community as well.
"So, so sadly, gun violence is pervasive in our country, and we're certain that other farmers across the country have lost a child to gun violence," she says. "The usual distance between farmer and consumer is so great that a consumer has no way of knowing nor need to know when tragedy has struck a farmer. The outpouring of support from our greater community is certainly larger because of the many, many people Jon and Lucia reached through growing food for this community."
A GoFundMe campaign established by friends to help cover meals and other expenses for the Bremer family has already raised over $100,000, prompting the Bremers to establish the Lucia Whalen Bremer Memorial Scholarship Fund, facilitated through the Henrico Education Foundation. According to a post on the GoFundMe page, “The yearly scholarship will honor all of Lucia’s essential qualities — a bright mind, a kind soul, a dedicated athlete, a disciplined student and a young farmer.”
“Lucia was the kind of young person you hoped your own kid would be like — kind, polite, well-spoken,” Sullivan says. “She exuded joy, and she was always a pleasure to be around; she was an energy-giver and a bucket-filler."
Taking a cue from the Bremers’ neighborhood, which is blanketed in green ribbons honoring Lucia, the St. Stephen’s and West End Farmers Markets will provide green ribbons for vendors to display in solidarity with the Bremer family.
