On Friday, December 14, 2012 a
shooting occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, Connecticut.
Twenty-six people were slain there, six staff and teachers and twenty first graders.
Here we will remember those whose lives were lost in the tragedy.
May they forever be remembered.
Charlotte Bacon, six, loved the color pink and her family was considering sending her to private school, because she was asking to be challenged more in her school work.
The family released a statement saying:
Charlotte
Helen Bacon is the beloved daughter of Joel and JoAnn Bacon, and the
sister of Guy Bacon. Charolette was an extraordinarily gifted six year
old who filled her family each day with joy and love. The family will
forever remember her beautiful smile, her energy for life, and the
unique way she expressed her individuality usually with the color pink.
Charolette never met and animal she didn't love, and since the age of
two wanted to be a Veterinarian. She also enjoyed practicing Tae Kwon Do
weekly with her Dad and brother where she relished kicking and throwing
punches!
Charlotte has left a place in her entire extended
family's hearts that will never be replaced. The family is profoundly
grateful for the thoughts and prayers of the many friends around the
world who expressed their sympathies. They trust in the depths of God's
grace, and with confidence, know that Charolette rests in God's arms.
Daniel Barden, seven, loved to swim and was described as fearless, having "earned his ripped jeans and missing front teeth".
In a released statement, the family said, "He embodied everything that is wholesome and innocent in the world. Our hearts break over losing him and for the many
other families suffering loss."
Rachel D'Avino, twenty-nine, was an intern, who worked one one one with special needs children, and had just started at the school, this month.
She was a student at University of Saint Joseph studying Applied Behavior Analysis.
Her family described her as an animal lover who had a great sense of humor.
Rachel's boyfriend had just asked her parents for her hand, and had been planning to propose on Christmas Eve.
Olivia Engel, six, was remembered in a statement released by the family:
Olivia's favorite colors were pink and purple, he said. Her favorite
stuffed animal was a lamb. She loved school and did well in math and
reading. She liked to draw and took art classes. She played tennis and
soccer, and liked musical theater.
Olivia was a Daisy Girl Scout, enjoyed swimming, and took dance lessons in ballet and hip hop.
She
was an active member of her family's church, St. Rose of Lima Catholic
Church in Newtown, where she was supposed to appear in a Nativity play
as an angel over the weekend. Every night, she led grace at her family's
dinner table.
Josephine Gay, had just turned seven, on the eleventh.
Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, forty-seven.
She had served as the school's principal for the last two years, and was well loved in her role.
Parents commented that they never saw her without a smile.
It was her guidance that saw the installation of a security system in the school, which required visitors to be rung in, by a staff member.
Hochsprung lived in Woodbury, Connecticut, with her husband, two daughters and three stepdaughters.
Dylan Hockley, six, was remembered in a statement released by the family:
We want to give sincere thanks and appreciation to the emergency
services and first responders who helped everyone on Friday, Dec. 14. It
was an impossible day for us, but even in our grief we cannot
comprehend what other people may have experienced.
The
support of our beautiful community and from family, friends and people
around the world has been overwhelming and we are humbled. We feel the
love and comfort that people are sending and this gives our family
strength. We thank everyone for their support, which we will continue to
need as we begin this long journey of healing.
Our
thoughts and prayers are with the other families who have also been
affected by this tragedy. We are forever bound together and hope we can
support and find solace with each other.Sandy Hook and Newtown have
warmly welcomed us since we moved here two years ago from England. We
specifically chose Sandy Hook for the community and the elementary
school. We do not and shall never regret this choice. Our boys have
flourished here and our family's happiness has been limitless.
We
cannot speak highly enough of Dawn Hochsprung and Mary Sherlach,
exceptional women who knew both our children and who specifically helped
us navigate Dylan's special education needs. Dylan's teacher, Vicki
Soto, was warm and funny and Dylan loved her dearly. We take great
comfort in knowing that Dylan was not alone when he died, but was
wrapped in the arms of his amazing aide, Anne Marie Murphy. Dylan loved
Mrs. Murphy so much and pointed at her picture on our refrigerator every
day. Though our hearts break for Dylan, they are also filled with love
for these and the other beautiful women who all selflessly died trying
to save our children.
Everyone who met Dylan fell in love
with him. His beaming smile would light up any room and his laugh was
the sweetest music. He loved to cuddle, play tag every morning at the
bus stop with our neighbors, bounce on the trampoline, play computer
games, watch movies, the color purple, seeing the moon and eating his
favorite foods, especially chocolate. He was learning to read and was so
proud when he read us a new book every day. He adored his big brother
Jake, his best friend and role model.
There are no words
that can express our feeling of loss. We will always be a family of
four, as though Dylan is no longer physically with us, he is forever in
our hearts and minds. We love you Mister D, our special gorgeous angel.
Madeline Hsu, six.
Catherine Hubbard, six, loved animals and her favorite place was the Newtown Animal Shelter.
Chase Kowalski, seven, loved to be outside riding his bicycle, running or playing baseball.
At the age of six, he completed his first triathlon and was an active Cub Scout.
Jesse Lewis, six, loved going to the construction sites his dad, a contractor, was working at.
Ana Marquez-Greene, six, was remembered in a statement released by the family:
It is with immeasurable grief and heavy-heartedness that we mourn
the loss of our precious angel, Ana Grace Marquez-Greene. She was taken
from us far too soon in the horrific massacre enacted upon Sandy Hook
Elementary School on Friday morning December 14, 2012. She was 6 ½ years
old.
In her short life, Ana strengthened us with her
loving, generous joyful spirit. She routinely committed selfless acts of
kindness: every drawing or craft project she began was envisioned not
for her own enjoyment, but as a gift for another. She often left sweet
notes that read, "I love you Mom and Dad," under our bedroom pillow –
not on special occasions, but, rather, on ordinary days. She would not
allow me to kiss her goodbye. Instead, when I bent down to kiss her, she
would take a step backwards, poke out her lips and wait for me to lower
my cheek -she made it clear that she wanted to do the kissing.
Ana's
love for singing was evident before she was even able to talk. In a
musical family, her gift for melody, pitch and rhythm stood out
remarkably. And she never walked anywhere – her mode of transportation
was dance. She danced from room to room and place to place. She danced
to all the music she heard, whether in air or in her head. Ana loved her
God, loved to read the Bible and loved to sing and dance as acts of
worship.
We ask that you pray for the legions of people who
are left behind to cherish memories of her. We also ask that you, like
Ana, commit selfless acts of kindness to all those around you. Maybe, in
some way, through love, similar senseless acts of violence could be
prevented. Funeral arrangements will be announced soon. In lieu of gifts
and flowers, the family is working to establish scholarships in Ana's
name at Western Connecticut State University's Department of Music in
Danbury, Conn. and the Artist's Collective in Hartford, Conn.
James Mattioli, six, was very active and loved arm wrestling, baseball, basketball, hockey, and swimming.
He also loved food and math.
Grace McDonnell, seven.
Anne Marie Murphy, fifty-two, was a special education assistant.
According to authorities, she died shielding the children in her classroom.
She loved walking and movies.
Anne left behind four children of her own, the youngest of whom is a senior in high school.
Emilie Parker, six, was an avid artist, who specialized in making cards for people.
She was responsible for teaching her younger sisters, three and four years old, how to dance, read, and enjoy life.
Her father and her had been learning Portuguese together.
Jack Pinto, six, loved baseball, wrestling, and was New York Giants fan.
Noah Pozner, six, loved animals, reading, and video games.
His sense of humor kept the family laughing many nights.
They also remember his mischievousness and his endless stream of questions, as he tried to understand how the world works.
The family released a statement saying:
On Friday, Dec. 14, we tragically lost a most beloved member of
our family. Noah was a 6-year-old little boy, and he was so dear to all
of our hearts.
Words cannot express the unfathomable loss we feel.
Noah
was a wonderful son and a loving brother. He was kind, caring, smart,
funny, and sometimes even a little mischievous. He liked to tell his
sisters that he worked in a taco factory; when they asked him how he got
to work, he would give them a funny look as if to say he knew something
that they didn't.
Noah was a little kid. He loved animals,
video games and Mario Brothers. He was already a very good reader, and
had just bought a Ninjago book at a book fair that he was really excited
about reading. He was also very excited about going to a birthday party
he had been invited to. It was to take place on Saturday, Dec. 15.
Noah
loved his family dearly, especially his mom, his dad, his big sisters
Danielle and Sophia, his big brother Michael, and his dear twin Arielle.
He called Arielle his best friend, and she was — and always had been.
If
Noah had not been taken from us, he would have become a great man. He
would been a wonderful husband and a loving father. He would have been a
backbone of our family for years to come. His loss, and our loss, are
deep indeed.
It is unspeakably tragic that none of us can bring Noah back. We would go to the ends of the Earth to do so, but none of us can.
What
we can do is carry Noah within us, always. We can remember the joy he
brought to us. We can hold his memory close to our hearts. We can
treasure him forever. And all of us, including the family, the
community, the country and the world, can honor Noah by loving each
other and taking care of each other. That's what Noah would have wanted.
Noah, we love you so much, we miss you dearly, and we will never, ever forget you.
Caroline Previdi, six.
Jessica Rekos, six, loved horses and whales.
Avielle Richman, six, took up archery after seeing the movie Brave.
She also loved to read.
Lauren Rousseau, thirty, loved UConn women's basketball.
Teaching had been her dream, since before she ever attended school.
Her family said they are grateful she had achieved her dreams.
In November, she had been hired as a permanent substitute teacher at Sandy Hook.
Mary Sherlach, fifty-six.
She had been the school's school psychologist, since 1994.
Her husband, of more than thirty years, and her lived in Trumbull, Connecticut.
They have two daughters in their twenties.
Victoria Soto, twenty-seven, had been a teacher at Sandy Hook for five years.
She is credited with hiding as many students as she could in cupboards and closets, and then shielding the rest with her own body when the shooter entered.
Benjamin Wheeler, six, is remembered for his comedic timing and his improv comedy.
The family released a statement saying:
Ben Wheeler was an irrepressibly bright and spirited boy whose love
of fun and excitement at the wonders of life and the world could rarely
be contained. His rush to experience life was headlong, creative and
immediate. He was a devoted fan of his older brother, Nate, and the two
of them together filled the house with the noise of four children. He
loved the local soccer program, often running across the field long
after it was actually necessary, but always smiling and laughing as he
moved the ball nearly always at full tilt. He was becoming a strong
swimmer and loved his lessons. Eager to learn, he couldn't wait to get
to school to see his teacher and his growing group of new first grade
friends. Ben was also a member of Tiger Scout Den 6 which met at the
Sandy Hook Volunteer Firehouse. Earlier in December, Ben performed at
his piano recital and sitting still long enough to play one piece was an
accomplishment he reveled in. He loved The Beatles, lighthouses, and
the number 7 train to Sunnyside, Queens. In a conversation with Francine
[his mother] before school on Friday, he said, "I still want to be an
architect, but I also want to be a paleontologist, because that's what
Nate is going to be and I want to do everything Nate does."
Allison Wyatt, six
We will continue to update this as more comes out about each of them.
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