Birth date: Sep 24, 1996 Death date: Oct 31, 2024
Elisabeth (Elissa) Mary Rumford, born on September 24, 1996, tragically passed away the afternoon of October 31, 2024, in a car accident while traveling to her family home to join her parents and sister’s family for a fun Hallowee Read Obituary
We were heartbroken to learn of Elissa's passing. We remember her as a beautiful young girl playing happily with her sister and our Kelsey and Courtney in the cul de sac in our Ashburn neighborhood long before any of them had a care in the world. She definitely has always been an angel here on Earth and will be sorely missed. The Kramers are all out here in Arizona now and regret not being able to attend her Celebration of Life as she clearly has left behind a legacy worth celebrating. Linda, Scot, Kelsey and Courtney Kramer
I am a Richmond transplant and when I first moved in 2014 and met Elissa the following year—people began referring to us as twins. An honor, but I had huge unfillable shoes.
This September Elissa and I did a photoshoot as I had just got a new camera and she was showing me the ropes. She told me we were staying on her porch till I got a crisp shot. She asked for the photos and I never got around to editing them till 10/31.
There has not been a day since that I have not heard her when I touch the shutter.
I am immensely grateful for my short tenure with this driven beauty. I am immensely grateful for the work, voice, and genuine force she applied to sustainable fashion and niche creators. I am sorrowed I never sent the pictures.
The tapestry of life is unexplainable, there’s no sense to be made from it or of it, but if I had to make any sense from it, it would be: live sincerely and follow through.
Over the past several days, I’ve struggled to find the right words to say and the right time to say them. I feel unqualified to speak about Elissa’s life. Among her high school peers, I wasn’t especially close with Elissa during those early years, and there are countless others within that community who knew her far better than I and will be able do a far better job speaking to her life, personality, character, and friendship.
Elissa and I became acquainted through our work on the H.E.A.R.T.S. high school yearbook; something she was much more directly involved in than I. But since we both did photography for the yearbook, we were able to build a connection over this shared interest.
In the years immediately following high school, we collaborated a number of times on different photoshoots, which was always a ton of fun and also provided many great opportunities to chat about our plans and common interests. At the time, I was hoping to start a private business in portrait photography, and Elissa was always more than happy to help me out, modeling for different shoots. At the same time, she expressed her desire to model professionally and we talked at length about this and other business prospects.
On one particular occasion, I also remember we spent a good amount of time discussing the ‘80s movie Flashdance. For that reason, whenever I hear a song from the movie’s soundtrack playing on the radio, I always think of Elissa.
One particularly funny thing I remember about Elissa is that she was terrified of cats. It was the funniest thing! One afternoon we were spending at Frying Pan Park in Herndon for a casual photoshoot, a small barnyard tabby curiously approached Elissa, which she then attempted to escape from by climbing on top of a fence. I actually had pictures of this, but which, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find.
The last time Elissa and I spoke in person was many years ago, when we reflected on our still-recent high school experiences over ice cream at Pitango Gelato in Reston while continuing to discuss prospects for the future. Our final conversation over text is now more than five years old, where we briefly discussed the directions our career and education paths had since taken for us, as well as our mutual interests in drawing, painting, and photography.
After that, our lives and careers took different trajectories, and we more-or-less lost contact. Looking back now, I wish I had made more of an effort to maintain that contact over those later years.
Although we only knew one another a little while, I feel so blessed to have known Elissa for the time that I did. She was such a cheerful and pleasant person to spend time with and to talk to, and, although our friendship was comparatively brief, I hope that these stories help to encourage you as you reflect on Elissa’s life and the positive impact she had on the people around her.
The pictures added here include photos taken for the H.E.A.R.T.S. yearbooks in 2011 and 2012 as well as a few pictures from one of our photoshoots years later at a botanic garden in Alexandria.
I only had the pleasure of meeting Elissa once while on vacation in Genova, Italy. She accompanied my daughter, Ariel, and Sam. She was truly a beautiful young woman and soul. Her enthusiasm and joy was contagious. She took some photos for me as a memory of our trip. She was so talented and gracious with her gifts. It’s heartbreaking such a young and beautiful soul has departed here but I believe her wonders are being shared in another beautiful place. My thoughts and prayers go to her family and friends. May she be In Peace.
So saddened to hear of Elissa's untimely and tragic death.
My daughter had a dream to get a collection up on Ap0cene, which she did. We are forever grateful to Elissa for providing her this opportunity.
It takes a driven, creative and visionary spirit to start an alternative fashion universe as Elissa has with Ap0cene, an incredible marketplace teeming with fabulous energy and unique garments and accessories which would never be found anywhere else.
Ap0cene provides young designers with a global platform where they can reach people who want to explore fashion and identity beyond the more conventional offerings found in shopping malls and other clothing websites. It has a solid presence in what is an increasingly challenging industry.
Elissa obviously had the smarts and sensibility for risk that allowed her to build this unique and extraordinary clothing business.
Although I never met Elissa it was clear she was was bold and brave and in possession of a fierce creativity.
I am so sad for her family, friends, Ap0cene brands and customers.
Lola and Dorin are sending love and condolences from Australia.
Vale Elissa Rumford.
