Vanderbilt grads died during Brussels attacks

Justin and Stephanie Shults always had their eyes on the horizon.

The couple that came together at Vanderbilt University went on to travel the world after they married in 2011. When Stephanie's job at Mars, Incorporated took the couple to Belgium in 2014, it seemed like the perfect fit for the two adventurers.

Justin's Franklin-based employer Clarcor created a position for him in Europe, a friend said, and the Shultses ventured across the continent often. Recently, they had made plans to venture to Finland, where they hoped to sleep in a glass igloo under the glow of the Northern Lights.

But their love story met an abrupt and tragic end last week when two homemade bombs tore through the Brussels airport. The Shultses' employers confirmed on Saturday that both of them were among at least 31 people killed during terrorist attacks in the European capital.

Heartbreak in Gatlinburg: Family, friends pray for couple killed in Brussels

In the minutes and hours after the announcements, family members in the hills of East Tennessee, where Justin Shults grew up, struggled to find meaning in the couple's deaths during Easter weekend.

"It's just something we're having to deal with and try to make peace with," Justin's uncle Mike Shults said Saturday in a phone interview. "That's not really an easy thing. ... I'm sort of at a loss."

Mike Shults said Justin and his daughter Lydia grew up together. He saw his nephew for the last time a couple of weeks ago, when Justin returned home to spend time with his ailing grandmother.

"He was one of the finest young men you'd ever meet. Done well, very intelligent, succeeded at everything he ever did," Mike Shults said. "I've got a son of my own. If he'll be as good as Justin, I'll be proud of him."

Justin Shults' brother, Levi Sutton, who has tweeted updates throughout the search for the couple, shared his grief Saturday using the Twitter handle @PopcornSutton__. In a tweet announcing his brother's death, Sutton said the last thing Justin Shults said to him was that he loved him.

"We found out today that cowards took my brother’s life just weeks after his 30th birthday," Sutton tweeted. "I was blessed to have Justin as a big brother. He was smart and kind and generous. I never met a single person that didn’t like him. He worked hard his whole life and achieved goals that most could only dream about. He traveled the world leaving each destination better than when he arrived."

Vanderbilt grieves another loss

At Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management, where Justin and Stephanie Shults met and earned their masters degrees in accounting in 2009, professors and students faced their second brush with international terrorism within a month. Taylor Force, another Owen student, was stabbed to death by a terrorist earlier in March during a school-sponsored trip to Israel.

"It is with great sadness that I report that our fears have been confirmed," Owen Dean M. Eric Johnson said in an email Saturday evening reflecting on Justin and Stephanie Shults' deaths. "The couple met at Owen, developed many lasting friendships here and chose to become global citizens by moving to Belgium for their careers. Faculty and staff remember the pair as genuine, kind, and loving — leaving Owen on a shared adventure that stretched them both professionally and personally."

Professor Karl Hackenbrack, who advised Justin and Stephanie Shults while they pursued their master degrees, shared his thoughts on both of his former students in emails Saturday, hinting at complementary traits that made them a perfect match.

Justin was "the consummate team player others could and did depend on," Hackenbrack said. And Stephanie was "always sensitive to the needs of others. The one who would identify those on the periphery of (a) group or less socially inclined and extend a genuine welcome and hand of friendship."

Stewart Riggs, a friend of the couple who met them both as students at Vanderbilt, remembered their hunger to explore the world hand-in-hand.

"They are salt of the earth, with incredible souls," Riggs said in an interview Friday before their deaths were announced. "Just really good people."

Riggs and his wife, another Owen student who met the Shultses at Vanderbilt, used an email thread to share the latest news about the couple with their former Vanderbilt classmates. After a false report that the couple had been found safe on Wednesday, Riggs said he backed away from the cable news network coverage.

"You can imagine the roller coaster," he said, referring to what the families have been through in the past days.

After their deaths were announced, government officials reached out to share their condolences.

"We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Justin and Stephanie Shults in the terror attacks in Brussels," said U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. "To their family members and to all who loved them, we offer our prayers and deepest sympathies as we mourn their passing. We also extend condolences to all of the families who lost loved ones and to the people of Belgium.”

"Our community mourns the tragic loss of Stephanie & Justin Shults in Brussels," Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky, Stephanie Shults' home state, said in a tweet. "We offer our deepest sympathies to their family & loved ones."

By late Saturday evening, over 250 messages of condolence had been posted to the Mars, Incorporated Facebook page by Stephanie Shults' work colleagues.

Reach Adam Tamburin at 615-726-5986 and on Twitter @tamburintweets. Reach Jen Todd at @jentoddwrites and at jtodd1@gannett.com.

Vanderbilt Chancellor Nick Zeppos' statement on the deaths

"We are saddened to learn that the deaths of Vanderbilt alumni Justin and Stephanie Shults have been confirmed. Our hearts go out to their families and friends as they begin to cope with their passing. Both Justin and Stephanie received degrees from our Owen Graduate School of Management. Justin also received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt. This bright young couple chose, in the spirit of discovery, to become global citizens in order to grow, to learn and to broaden their perspective. They represented the very best of Vanderbilt and Owen. "

Vanderbilt grads in Brussels described as happy, successful couple