A fellow SFU graduate student Kelsey Colaric, who was injured in the attack, was released from the hospital Tuesday, Father James Puglis, T.O.R., director of Saint Francis Campus Ministry, told those gathered at a Mass of remembrance Tuesday evening for Cumer.

The Saint Francis University community cried, prayed and consoled one another at a Mass of remembrance for Cumer of Washington, Pa.

Cumer’s parents, Ron and Vicky Grove Cumer, attended the service at Immaculate Conception Chapel on campus, but didn’t attend a news conference following the Mass.

While Puglis had no details of her injuries, he said Colaric was released from the hospital Tuesday. In his homily, Puglis said Cumer “was attempting to guide his friends to safety.”

Colaric

According to Colaric’s Facebook page, she is a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, and was also doing an internship, like Cumer, at Maple Tree Cancer Alliance in Dayton.

Thirty-one people, including Cumer, were killed and scores were injured in two separate mass shootings over the weekend. The other was in El Paso, Texas.

Cumer, 25, received his Master of Science degree in the Cancer Care program at Saint Francis in May. He had completed his undergraduate work with Saint Francis as an exercise physiology major. He had been offered a position at the Maple Tree Cancer Alliance last week.

Describing himself as Cumer’s best friend and Alpha Phi Delta fraternity brother, Timothy Hornick of Johnstown said Cumer will be remembered “100 years from now. When new brothers enter the fraternity, they will hear about Nick.”

Alpha Phi Delta brothers from across the country had reached out with condolences and are supporting a GoFundMe page, Hornick said.

Brother Shamus McGrenra, T.O.R. shared thoughts about Cumer from his perspective — a stage 4 cancer survivor who received twice weekly exercise therapy from Cumer.

“Everything you have heard about Nick is absolutely true … only double and triple it,” Brother Shamus said, “he was compassionate and loving and a great practitioner.”

The 120-minute therapy sessions were rigorous, but Cumer’s positivity and encouragement kept him coming back. The therapy helped him recover from radiation and chemotherapy and maintain his positive attitude.

Several university sports teams attended the Mass as Cumer played tuba with the university band as an undergraduate and most recently served as the band’s graduate assistant. Due to the standing-room-only crowd estimated at about 500 mourners, the men’s football team was seated on the altar in chairs usually reserved for the Franciscan Friars.

When congregants sang “I am with You,” Puglis said, “I was thinking about Nick and all the others impacted and how the Lord will be with us and get us through this.”

Mirror Staff Writer Patt Keith is at 949-7030.