Community Education Health & Wellness

Community outpouring of support follows death of Gig Harbor teen by suicide

You are not alone. Your life matters. Help is available. 

Advocates of suicide prevention want those messages to ring clearly, always. The recent death by suicide of a Gig Harbor teen brings renewed urgency to their mission.

Aumi Lynn Webster died Feb. 6, according to a GoFundMe campaign in her memory.

“In honor of Aumi, we encourage anyone who may be struggling to seek help. The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available at 988 by call or text, anytime,” organizers said. Connecting by chat is also an option at 988lifeline.org.

Locals respond to loss

In response to Aumi’s death, members of the Circle of Friends clubs in Peninsula School District handed out resource cards at schools and in other locations around town, said Thelma Brown, president of the Gig Harbor Key Peninsula Suicide Prevention Coalition.

Brown said four Peninsula School District students died by suicide, including Aumi, within the past year and a half.

Aumi Lynn Webster, a Peninsula School District student, died Feb. 6, 2026, by suicide. Photo courtesy of the Webster family

On one side, the cards had messages of care, such as “You matter,” and “Tomorrow needs you,” Brown said. The other side had the 988 number. 

As of Feb. 24, the GoFundMe for Aumi Webster raised nearly $42,000, including an anonymous $5,000 gift, to help cover funeral expenses. The family also hopes to make a significant donation to Miracle Ranch, a youth camp on Horseshoe Lake in South Kitsap, where Aumi was a camper and later a volunteer.

Miracle Ranch, “supported her mental health, helped her grow in her faith and was the place where Aumi’s compassion for others, horses and Jesus came together,” the GoFundMe tribute says.

About Aumi

“Aumi was a beautiful soul with a huge heart — deeply caring, kind and loving,” the online tribute says. “She had a quick wit and was sarcastically funny. She had a special way of making people feel seen and valued, and her compassion for others was woven into everything she did. Aumi loved horses, helping others, and Chicken McNuggets.”

Aumi shared a close bond with her mother, GayLynn, father, Kyle, and brother, Dane.

“Their love for one another was undeniable. She was deeply loved by her entire family and by the many friends who had the privilege of knowing her,” the online tribute reads.

She had dreams of becoming a children’s mental health counselor.

Everybody knew her name

Aumi had hoped to become a wrangler at Miracle Ranch when she was old enough. Until then, she volunteered.

“As she grew older, giving back to the ranch became especially meaningful to her,” the GoFundMe tribute says. “Miracle Ranch was more than just a camp to Aumi — it was a safe and meaningful place where she felt grounded, accepted and understood.”

Aumi was a familiar face in the stables and on the trails at Miracle Ranch.

“She was like, Norm on ‘Cheers,’ you know,” her mom, GayLynn Webster said. “I would deliver her for a day of volunteering, or another horse camp or horsemanship weekend, and everybody knew her name. Everybody had a smile for her, and everyone just supported her. It was her one safe space where, just, everybody was kind. And I think every kid deserves that.”

Working with horses was one of Aumi Lynn Webster’s passions. She was a frequnt volunteer at Miracle Ranch in South Kitsap, a camp where horsemanship is among the activities. Photo courtesy of the Webster family

Talk about it

Webster said she chose to share publicly the manner of Aumi’s death to reduce the stigma often associated with suicide.

“The day that we found out Aumi was gone, I was faced with decisions no parent should be faced with,” she said.

One of those decisions was how to inform Aumi’s school of her passing. After talking with close friends who are educators, Webster authorized Peninsula School District to share with staff, parents and students at her middle school her name and that she died by suicide. Webster’s aim, on the advice of her friends, was to cut short any conjecture about Aumi’s death.

“They (Webster’s friends) thought it would also help prepare families, that families could discuss this with their children over the weekend, and that from a school standpoint, they could have crisis counselors and people on board by Monday to help support the students,” Webster said. “I see in this knowledge and in talking to them, I felt like that’s exactly what should happen, and that what should happen is that it should be released, that it was a suicide, and the reason being is the stigma attached to suicide, and the fact that I refuse to be anything other than proud of who my daughter is and was.”

District’s response

Peninsula School District cannot comment, said Michael Farmer, chief of schools, citing respect for the family’s privacy. The district provided public records showing it sent notifications to families the evening after she died and early the following week.

The letters to families mourned her loss and advised that school counselors would be on hand. The district provided resources such as tips for parents about discussing suicide with their children, and where to call if your child needs help right away, including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Collaborating with school

Suicide among younger teens has increased over time, according to the Gig Harbor Key Peninsula Suicide Prevention Coalition’s website, which cites the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide now ranks as the second-leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 14.

“The only way we’re going to lower these suicidal thoughts and acts is to talk about it,” Brown said. “Talking about it will break the stigma that’s attached to suicide.”

The coalition disseminates education and resources in partnership with local organizations including Communities in Schools Peninsula and Peninsula School District, among others. Circle of Friends, where students can talk with their peers about mental health concerns, and Teen Mental Health First Aid Training are two resources made possible by collaboration between the district and the coalition.

“Suicide now is killing more teens than auto accidents. It’s a social crisis, and that’s scary,” said Anne Nesbit, spokeswoman and public education officer for Key Peninsula Fire and a member of the coalition’s board of directors.

Aumi Lynn Webster had dreams of becoming a mental health counselor for children. Photo courtesy of the Webster family

Mental Health First Aid

Nesbit, with others, was instrumental in making mental health first aid a regular part of PSD’s high school health classes. She also has taught Teen Mental Health First Aid to students at Henderson Bay High School, using a different curriculum. The training is similar to Mental Health First Aid for adults but geared to students in grades 9 through 12.

The training gives high school students tools to recognize warning signs of different mental health conditions and how to support someone in crisis until they can get other help.

Circle of Friends 

Brown and former state legislator Larry Seaquist are community advisors for Circle of Friends clubs, which are active in Gig Harbor and Henderson Bay high schools.  

Circle of Friends, founded in 2023, promotes suicide prevention and aims to ease the stigma of mental illness, according to staff advisor and art teacher Alyse Yeaman, who spoke to Gig Harbor Now in September, when students from the group attended an event with Gov. Bob Ferguson.  

The group aims to counter harassment, intimidation and bullying. It provides a safe space where students can connect, support one another and foster a more positive school climate, Yeaman said.

Conversations are confidential, so students can freely share their challenges and concerns. Student leaders have received mental health first aid training and can refer anyone in imminent danger of harm to the appropriate resources.

Clubs are forming at Peninsula High School, Goodman Middle School and Discovery Elementary, according to Brown. “We’re trying to get it into as many schools as we possibly can,” she said.

Challenging suicide myths 

Mental Health First Aid training busts myths that people with mental health challenges are dangerous, or that only certain people experience mental distress. People of all ages, genders and ethnicities can be at risk for suicide, according to the GHKP Suicide Prevention Coalition.

“I think the conversation is important, because we need to reduce the stigma for everyone,” Nesbit said. “It is a health problem. It is a social concern. There are resources out there. There is hope. We need to encourage people to get help before it reaches a crisis point.” 

“This is something that needs to be brought to the forefront,” Webster said. “It doesn’t belong in the dark.” 

Who’s at risk?

Some examples of factors that increase the risk of suicide include a history of suicide attempts, depression or other mental disorders, substance use disorder, or chronic pain, according to the suicide prevention coalition’s FAQs.

“Most people who have risk factors for suicide will not attempt suicide, and it is difficult to tell who will act on suicidal thoughts,” the coalition states. Stressful events including harassment, bullying or discrimination “may contribute to suicide risk, especially when they occur along with suicide risk factors,” according to its website.

Asking someone if they’re thinking about suicide will not cause or increase such thoughts, according to the coalition. “Asking someone directly, ‘Are you thinking of killing yourself?’ can be the best way to identify someone at risk for suicide,” the FAQs advise.

Signs not always obvious 

Aumi gave no signs of suicidal thinking leading up to her death.

“As part of my own work, I’ve been through suicide training,” Webster said. “And this did not fit that nice, neat box or category. I wish that it had been more obvious. In the weeks to follow, I am hoping to make a bit more sense of that in my mind. But it doesn’t make a lot of sense right now. I just want other families to be vigilant and proactive.” 

What that looks like may differ from family to family. Webster has done many things to support Aumi’s mental health, such as connecting her with art therapy and horsemanship. Of course, as any parent would, she wonders what else she might have done. 

“I think, look for ways to help support your kids in their interests and what they’re doing,” she said. “And maybe think about having a counselor at the ready.” 

Above all, she hopes parents will be able to talk to their children about their mental health. 

“There is a stigma attached to suicide, and I just refuse to be a part of that,” Webster said. “I don’t want kids to get the wrong message, that they should feel bad if they’re thinking of taking their life or reaching out for help. And you know, if her story can help even just one more person, then I know that that’s what she would want me to do.”

Get help, help others

• The Suicide & Crisis 988 Lifeline offers 24/7 help via call, text or chat; 988lifeline.org. Other emergency resources: Pierce County Crisis Line, 800-576-7764, or call 911. 

• Mental Health First Aid training for adults and teens is offered regularly through the Tacoma – Pierce County Health Department. Find out more and sign up here.  

• Local contacts for mental health first aid training are Anne Nesbit of Key Peninsula Fire at [email protected] or (253) 884-2222; or Laurel Shultz, of Communities in Schools Peninsula at [email protected] or (253) 509-9396. Find out how you or your organization can access this training. 

• The Gig Harbor Key Peninsula Suicide Prevention Coalition provides information and resources. Contact the coalition at hope4you.org. 

• The coalition hosts a Survivors of Suicide support group at 9 a.m. the second Tuesday of each month in person and via Zoom at Heron’s Key, 4340 Borgen Blvd. One-on-one sessions are available on request. 

• Circle of Friends is a student-led, peer support club in Peninsula School District: Contact your high school’s ASB or your school counselor to learn more.