Sophie Grace Ringquist

Sophie Grace Ringquist, 17, of Burlington, tragically passed away Sunday May 21, 2023 as a result of a senseless accident. Sophie was born October 11, 2005 to Scott and Lynne (Golas) Ringquist.

Sophie leaves her parents, Lynne and Scott, her big brothers, Jackson and Tyler, her grandparents Michael and Kathleen Golas of West Hartford, Wayne and Linda Ringquist of New Britain, and Sandy Ringquist of Plymouth as well as her Uncle John Golas of New Britain and his partner Stacie Ellis, Sophie's cousins, Sydney Golas who was her best friend and the sister she never had, Samantha and Sloan Golas, and Kevin and Nicholas Richardson. Rosco, aka "bean", will miss his and Sophie's love/hate relationship. She was predeceased by her Auntie Dina who welcomes Sophie into heaven with the warm embrace we are no longer able to give her.

In Sophie's journal entries, she wrote that she wanted to "Be remembered as fierce. I want to have a beautiful and healthy family. I want to be a good person with pure intentions. I want to be a good wife and mother. I want to be happy". We grieve as a family as those dreams were tragically and suddenly taken.

We will remember Sophie as a loving, hardworking, joyous, goofy, passionate, fierce, and compassionate young woman with a talent for putting into her writing what we all find so difficult to say aloud. She spent her free time at the gym, hanging out with friends, and during the summer teaching local kids how to swim. Sophie was on the path to graduate high school a semester early and began taking college classes while still attending Lewis Mills High School to get a head start on a future degree in construction management and to learn the business end of the hard work she performed weekly by her father, Scott's side.

Sophie will be remembered by those she loved in "her truck" going to her "sunset spot" which was her place for meeting up with friends or just for quiet reflection. Sophie lived by her personal motto, "leave the past where it belongs".

She will be missed for her comforting words, playful teasing, and a smile that brightened any room. Her hugs were genuine and warm, and when she told you she loved you, you felt it.

We thank you for our privacy as we negotiate our grief as a family. We also thank you for your continued prayers. Services will be private with a Celebration of Life to be held at a later date.

Please hug the ones you love a little tighter today.