RIVER FALLS – River Falls resident Amy Theis will be remembered by her family and friends as a kind, loving woman who worked hard, overcame life’s challenges and had a heart of gold.

Theis, 47, died Monday, April 24 from a gunshot wound to the head in front of her townhome in the 500 block of Bandle Street in River Falls. Her neighbor, Michael Dillon Price, 31, has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide in St. Croix County Circuit Court. His bail has been set at $750,000.

“This story is horrific and completely senseless,” said Theis’s aunt, Pamela Eckstrom. “We hope that she was totally blind-sided and didn’t know what was happening. I don’t think we’ll ever know that answer.”

Eckstrom said Theis, River Falls High School Class of ’95 graduate, had bought her townhome about one year ago. She was proud to be a homeowner and felt safe in the neighborhood. She lived directly across from Price, but didn’t know him, she added.

“It’s so sad because he could have made so many other choices besides breaking into her house,” Eckstrom said.

It’s especially hard for the family to see a young life end so tragically as they prepare to lay their family matriarch, Janet Dopkins, Theis’s grandmother, to rest. Dopkins died at age 91 April 13 after a long, full life, Eckstrom said.

“She lived a big life to the fullest,” Eckstrom said. “But she just literally wore out. She had no pain, she wasn’t sick. We’ve been preparing this celebration of life for her. There’s such joy in knowing that she was such a big part of everyone’s life. Then this devastating darkness is crushing us.”

Theis had worked at Rise Baking Company in River Falls as a team lead for seven or eight years. Her aunt described her as a loyal, hard worker who worked overnights by choice.

“She liked the people and worked well with them,” Eckstrom said. “She enjoyed working with people from many different cultures. They loved her. She knew how to manage in a way that made people want to work for you.”

Theis never married nor had children, but her life was full with a large extended family, including two brothers, her parents, many aunts and uncles, cousins and friends, plus her beloved dog Mongo.

“He was very much part of everything,” Eckstrom said. “She would do anything for him.”

Theis also loved to redo furniture and in fact, had two pieces of her grandmother’s waiting in the garage for a refresh. Her artistic flair extended to painting, flowers and gardening.

“She was kind, loving, caring. This girl had a heart of gold. She would literally give you the shirt off her back. She was truly loved. People just knew she was solid and honest, caring and loving. She would not hurt a soul. She did not have a mean bone in her. She never held grudges. She called me every day and we just talked about life. It has left a huge hole.”

Theis’s friends Jennifer Bauerkemper and Mariann Miller got together Saturday to remember their friend. Bauerkemper had been friends with Theis for more than 30 years. They met when Bauerkemper worked at Country Kitchen (now Kinni Café) with Theis’s mother Nancy.

“We started to become friends when I worked at Country Kitchen,” Bauerkemper said. “All of my other friends already knew her. A lot of my friends group hung out there, because we were adults that were still underage, I suppose.”

Bauerkemper, like Eckstrom, described Theis as kind, loving and caring, but also as tough and interesting.

“Mariann and I were discussing Amy and through the tears, we were laughing at how bold she could be,” Bauerkemper said.

When Theis was in her 20s, she decided she wanted to live in New Orleans, she recalled. She sold everything that wouldn’t fit into her car and did precisely that. She lived in NOLA for a full year.

“Crazy brave and bold,” Bauerkemper marveled.

She also recalled a favorite memory in which Theis showed up to a Halloween celebration in a fuzzy Winnie the Pooh outfit.

“Mariann and I were remembering this thinking, where did she get that?” Bauerkemper said. “Amy was the kind of person who could show up in a full Winnie the Pooh, one-pierce, fabric, really nice costume and it was like, ‘Of course Amy has that.’ I don’t know how to explain that, but she could’ve just pulled that off at any time and no one would’ve questioned it. And we didn’t.”

Bauerkemper said Theis also attended culinary school, graduated and worked at Wolfgang Puck’s 20.21 in the Walker Art Museum at one time. Her easy smile and fantastic laugh helped her make friends wherever she went.

“I 100% believed we’d be old ladies together,” Bauerkemper said. “The fact that this is no longer happening is incredibly painful.”

A Gofundme has been set up to help the family with Theis’s end of life expenses. You can donate at https://gofund.me/d31ee634