Domestic Violence has Taken a Face Painter

I did not know Lynn Shimek, but felt this tragedy needed to be posted. My heart is breaking for one of our own, a beautiful & vibrant face painter.

I'm writing this in honor of her & her 2 surviving children to hopefully save someone, if you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call a hotline, call a friend, get out & get help, don't wait, run! The abuser will not get better. The abuser does not need you to protect their job. The abuser is not "just under a little stress." The abuser will not stop.

I have a friend that left her abuser in the night w/ 5 kids. She now has a new & safer life & is alive!

This is the artical about the tragedy. RIP Lynn...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/crime/2011/11/29/murder-the-ticking-tomb-bomb-in-domestic-violence-cases/

Wow, how terrible. It's hard to believe that things like this really happen to people, until you read something like this, especially about someone who shares our passion. Really heartbreaking... RIP Lynn.

This is especially chilling... with the text from the husband to keep his kids out of the house.
Where I live in Kaufman, TX has a center that is basically a shelter for battered women who are trying to get safely away from abusive partners, where they can take their kids and go live here while they wait for protective orders, wait out the storm, and put new lives together. It's called the Genesis Center and my family offers support to them as often as we can in as many capacities as we can. I have met many of the women who have stayed there over the last couple of years as well. The center is fairly high security, and no one (especially men) can get in without verification that they are supposed to be there.
Anyone going through this could check around with churches to see if there is a similar center in your area.

Gives me the creeps..How awful..Good on you Psalm for reminder us to be good citizens..R.I,P Lynn

We have Hubbard House, which is a network of safe houses. Locations are kept as secret as possible. Women & their children stay till they can get back on their feet, etc. I have a friend who took her 5 kids in the middle of the night & left a multi-million dollar life. She went to Hubbard House. That was about 7 yrs ago. She now is a nurse & she & her children are doing well. She said it was a hard decision, but had to be done. Boy did she blossom after leaving the abuse. She went from shy & quiet to a woman that goes on mission trips & is more of a leader.

As a DV survivor, this story hits home for me. My daughter's first home was a battered women's and children' center. Since that time I have been very "touchy" about DV, encouraging women to "get out before it gets worse" every chance I get.
My heart goes out to Lynn's family and friends. Rest in Peace, angel.

That is horrible, she was beautiful! that really hit home to me, my dad was very abusive to my mom until one night my mom had enough and snuck us out of the house. my dad wouldnt be like that if it wasnt for his drinking now he is sober and doing better then ever. But in no way is domestic violence ok in any way not even if its a woman who is the abuser this is something that is a serious issue in america and i really hope something changes but from the looks of it it doesnt seem that it is going to be that way.

This is so sad. I read that DV is 2-4 times more likely in police families than in the general population. I hope that her dying this way is not in vain and that someone reading about it and living with DV will see the need to secretly escape.

what a sad story to read, and I am sorry for all that have lived through DV. I have not experienced it personally but I am an advocate to spreading awareness about this and in the past I have printed DV flyers and placed them around my old college's campus. Thank You for posting this "Psalmbook"

wow what a selfish and brutal act on the part of the husband/father... rest in peace Lynn

MeeMee wrote:This is so sad. I read that DV is 2-4 times more likely in police families than in the general population. I hope that her dying this way is not in vain and that someone reading about it and living with DV will see the need to secretly escape.

When I met my son's father I thought the fact that he was a police officer lent strength to the fact that he was a good honest man. Unfortunately the stresses of the job and the inability of the system to cope with the mental health issues of the force mean that way too many officers lose the plot. It wasn't until my family fell apart that I discovered that the majority of police relationships fall apart. This is a horrible story, one that has to be told. And whilst violence is never excusable or ok it shows once more that the system is the failing people that enlist to serve and the ripple down effect is that families and kids suffer.

I am so thankful for shelters. Without the local shelter here my kids and I would have been trapped, not having family or friends around to help. I just wish Lynn had been able to get out in time. Reading about her and looking at her facebook page when it happened, she seemed so happy and full of life...

How incredibly sad, for Lynn and her children.