Tomorrow (April 2) all Wright County facilities will lower their flags to half-staff as a memorial to Regina Hughes and awareness of the devastating impacts suffered by the victims and families of domestic violence.

Hughes was a Records Management Analyst for Wright County’s Information Technology Department who died Friday, March 19 – the victim in a murder/suicide in Rockford.

Regina’s death is far from an isolated incident. According to Violence Free Minnesota, at the time of her death, Hughes was the eighth confirmed victim of intimate partner homicide in Minnesota this year. She is memorialized on VFMN’s “We Remember” page on its website.

Given her role with Wright County, Regina worked with almost every department in county government and her outgoing personality, sense of humor and positivity quickly helped her assimilate with her “work family” and many of her co-workers considered her to be a true friend.

She leaves behind two adult children who were the lights of her life as well as numerous family and friends. The senseless fashion in which she died has thrown another spotlight on the issue of domestic violence. It is hoped that those who find themselves in abusive relationships will seek help – whether from family, friends, support groups or the numerous government, private and faith-based programs designed to assist victims of domestic abuse/violence.

Regina is gone, but will never be forgotten by the many friends and family left behind to grieve her passing and preserve her memory. Wright County asks that the community joins us in lowering its flags to help bring awareness to the scourge of domestic violence and let victims know that there are resources available to assist them before another tragedy befalls a family in Wright County.