Visitation for Sea World Trainer to be Held Today
Sunday, Feb 28, 2010 | Updated 11:15 AM CDT
Brancheau Family
Dawn Brancheau loved her job and the whales she worked with every day.
On Sunday, friends and family of the Sea World trainer killed last week will gather on Chicago's South Side to say farewell.
The trainer, Dawn Brancheau, grew up in Cedar Lake, Ind., graduating from Andrean High School in Merrillville in 1987. The 40-year-old got a job at Sea World straight out of college. Those who knew her said it was her dream job.
Branchea died Wednesday when Tilikum, a 12-000-pound orca, grabbed her by the hair and pulled her underwater after a show. Her obituary states that she "passed away ... doing what she loved."
Visitation will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel. The funeral will be held Monday morning at the same chapel, with burial following at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Alsip, according to the Tribune.
