LEXINGTON TOWNSHIP: The first woman in the Akron region to be killed in combat in either Afghanistan or Iraq was faithful to the end.“She died with a faith card in one pocket and a rosary in the other pocket,” said Brittany White, 24, of Marlboro Township, the twin sister of Army 1st Lt. Ashley I. White Stumpf, who was killed Oct. 22 in Afghanistan. White spoke at a gathering in Portage County outside Marlington High School, where the Army officer graduated in 2005.As some 1,000 people paid their respects, White also spoke of her sister’s courage, compassion and dedication.“Words cannot begin to describe the beautiful person that was Ashley Irene White Stumpf,” White said, reading from a family statement. “We celebrate her service, her quiet courage, and most of all, her compassion.”Mass of the Christian Burial for Lt. Stumpf will be held 11 a.m. today at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 2643 Waterloo Road in Randolph Township.Lt. Stumpf, 24, who was married in May to Army Captain Jason Stumpf, was a 2009 graduate of Kent State University.She was a KSU freshman when she joined the Ohio Army National Guard six years ago today. She joined the North Carolina National Guard in December 2009 and was the first member of the Army’s new Cultural Support Team to be killed in the line of duty.She died with two Army Rangers, Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer B. Domeij, 29, of San Diego, Calif., and Pfc. Christopher A. Horns, 20, of Colorado Springs, Co., when they were struck by a roadside bomb on Oct. 22 in Kandahar Province.Army Lt. Col. Tom Bryant, director of public affairs for the U.S. Special Operations Command, said Lt. Stumpf volunteered to join the cultural support unit and went through a rigorous selection process and seven weeks of training before arriving in Afghanistan in August. The unit has about 150 members.“They focus on learning and gaining a deepening understanding of Afghan culture,” Bryant said. They also receive training in advanced negotiating techniques “that help when they interact with Afghan women and children.”White said her sister “died doing what she loved and knowing that she was making a difference in the lives of countless Afghani women and children.”Lt. Stumpf was a hard worker and a kind soul, her sister said, who “put others first and lived to serve others.”“Her determination is what drove her to be the best. She raised the bar of standard so high in everything she did that it will take a lot for others to match her accomplishments,” White said.The “void we all feel in our hearts is one that will remain forever,” she said. “...However, we also take great comfort in knowing that she is watching over us from above and always will be.”White said her sister wouldn’t want tears of sadness shed for her.“Instead, she would want us to cry tears of joy and pride as we remember her and strive to touch the lives of the people around us in the way that she touched the lives of so many,” she said.White also read a Bible verse from the book of Romans 14:8: “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”Today’s funeral procession for Lt. Stumpf will leave the Arnold Funeral Home , 504 W. Maple St. in Hartville, at 10 a.m., travel east on state Route 619, head north on state Route 44, then west on Waterloo Road to the church.Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or at jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.