Authorities have identified the woman who was brutally attacked and killed by a great white shark off the coast of Maine.
Embodiment of zest
Julie Dimperio Holowach was a woman from New York City who worked as a fashion executive and made enough money to live out her dream life she had always hoped for when she was younger and retire early.
According to the New York Post, a longtime friend, Karen Murray, said Holowach would jump between homes along the East Coast and kept her body in a physically fit state before the animal killed her while she was swimming in the beach with her daughter on Monday.
Murray said the 63-year-old victim loved to enjoy life and would run marathons and triathlons. The friend also said she was able to make a comfortable amount of money and wanted to spend the rest of her days with her family.
Adding that Holowach had a son and a daughter, Murray told reporters her friend was one of the most active people she has ever met and lived with the greatest disposition and zest.
The victim was attacked while she was out with her daughter, who, fortunately, came out alive after the incident but would most likely be scared seeing her mother killed near her.
Holowach graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and was considered a genius in the fashion industry.
Murray said she first worked with Holowach in the early 2000s when they were both employed at designer Liz Claiborne. Holowach then transferred over to the VF Corporation and was appointed as president of Nautica women's wear and eventually found herself as the chief of Kipling in the United States.
The shark attack on the victim was the first fatal one recorded in Maine and only the second to be recorded in history in the region. The large animals are not common in the area due to the temperature of the waters being cool, as reported by BBC.
After the brutal attack, two kayakers helped Holowach, who reportedly wore a wetsuit, to get back to shore.
An ambulance and medical personnel were on the scene to assist the victim, but she immediately pronounced dead afterwards.
Shark attacks
The animal that assaulted Holowach left a tooth fragment at the scene, which experts later identified to belong to a great white shark, said a local official, as reported by CNN.
These massive animals frequent local waters due to their favorite prey, seals, being common off the coast of Maine.
Witnesses have also reported seeing sharks in several locations off the coasts in the northeast US the past several weeks. Notably, the animals have been sighted around Long Island, located in New York.
Some people have also stated they have seen sharks swimming around Cape Cod, Massachusetts where a surfer was attacked and killed by another great white shark in September 2018.
Andrew Turcotte, the Westbrook Fire Chief of Maine, said that while the family of the deceased were grateful for all the love and support that the public has given them, they are now asking for privacy while they mourn for their beloved.
