Oregon Public Broadcasting

A 24-year-old Oregon soldier was killed Sunday by a roadside bomb in Iraq, according to the military. Jessica Ellis was the 105th Oregonian to die in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports.

Jessica Ellis graduated from Lakeview High School in 2002.

But Bob Nash, the school's principal, says the school has never forgotten her. He was a teacher at the school when she was a student, and even though he never had Ellis in a class, he knew her well.

Bob Nash: “She really lit up a room when she walked into it. Just a great basic all around kid. I know some of what I am saying just sounds like clichés but in her case it was the absolute truth.”

Ellis took classes at Central Oregon Community College, in Bend, after graduating from Lakeview. She then entered the army in 2004.

Nash says he wasn't surprised when he found out she was in the army - serving as a medic.

Bob Nash: “She competed on our track and cross country teams. She wasn't a great runner but she tried her best and always had a smile on her face and its those kind of little things that just stick with you.”

She was a team player at the school, always cheering on classmates.