Maggie Steffens will all the time maintain a particular place in her coronary heart for her late sister-in-law, Lulu Conner.
Lulu, Steffens’ husband Bobby Conner’s youthful sister, died at 26 following a “medical emergency” while in Paris to observe the U.S. water polo star compete within the 2024 Summer Games.
Whereas speaking to PEOPLE at the 2024 Black Music Action Coalition Gala on Thursday, Sept. 19, Steffens, 31, shared that whereas her household is “nonetheless processing all that occurred on the Olympics,” they’re decided to “honor” Lulu’s “spirit, her mild, her pleasure she introduced the world.”
“She was a go-getter, and she or he made everybody round her smile,” provides Steffens. “So Bobby and I’ve been making an attempt to reside like Lu every single day and actually deal with that. On the similar time, give ourselves the house and gratitude, and kindness to attempt to mirror and course of what’s occurred as a result of we’re nonetheless in shock.”
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Steffens tells PEOPLE that being the youngest of 4 made Lulu “the little sister that I by no means bought to have.”
“That created a relationship that immediately felt like household. And this previous yr, my husband and I bought married. And, after all, she regarded stunning, and she or he learn a poem at our ceremony. However my favourite reminiscence is at my bachelorette as a result of, after all, she was there,” the athlete remembers.
“She flew all the best way from New York Metropolis. Her flight bought delayed. She missed the boat out to Catalina, the place we have been going,” continues Steffens. “In some way, [she] nonetheless made it and confirmed up in her journey gear out to the bar and able to go at, you realize, it was her twenty sixth birthday on the time, and she or he handed at 26 as nicely.”
“So I feel turning 26 for me and that power and positivity she introduced can be one thing I will all the time bear in mind,” she provides.
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Days after Lulu’s demise was introduced, Steffens honored Lulu with a touching Instagram tribute, writing, “Dwell like Lu ☀️💕✨ I like you, all the time collectively. Time to fly 🕊️ Lulu Conner 🪽08.12.1997-07.24.2024.”
In a earlier interview with PEOPLE in the course of the Olympics in July, Steffens mentioned Lulu “introduced 150% to” each enterprise.
“Clearly it is troublesome to speak about, particularly right now, however Lulu was a lightweight,” Steffens mentioned in July. “She is the Olympic spirit, and I feel that is proven in how a lot she’s right here. She’s so current on the Olympics. She was anyone that introduced pleasure to everyone she was with and to all the things she did.”
Steffens gained a gold medal with the U.S. ladies’s water polo crew in the course of the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer season Olympics. In Paris, the crew completed fourth, behind Spain, Australia and The Netherlands.