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SABULA, Iowa --- The mother of 6-year-old Avielle Rose Richman, one of the victims of Friday’s elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., grew up in Jackson County.

Jennifer Hensel is from Sabula and is a graduate of East Central School, her cousin, Terri Miller of Davenport, said Monday. Married to Jeremy Richman, the couple and their daughter moved to Connecticut from San Diego, Calif., in 2011, according to The Associated Press.

Avielle was one of 20 first-graders killed by a gunman who forced his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School Friday morning.

Miller, last saw Hensel and met Avielle, who went by Ava, at a family funeral last year.

“She was a vibrant little thing,” she said. “She was a normal 6-year-old.”

Photos show a girl with cascades of curls and a huge smile.

“She was born with a spitfire personality, which continued as she grew into a lover and teller of stories,” a post on the Newtown Bee website states. “She offered her heart to everyone.

“With an infectious smile and peals of laughter, people were drawn to her beautiful spirit, which will live on in all of our hearts,” the post states.