03/19/2015: I wish I could say I'm too old to remember, but his story will never be forgotten. Mario was killed our Senior year. His death was 06/27/1970. Its hard to believe that 45 years has gone by so fast. I have never forgot what a good friend you were to us. You have been missed my friend.
I didn't know Mario but I was one of about 200 people questioned in his death. My father was present during the questioning...that is when my father learned I smoked pot. The police thought it was "drug" related and questioned "known" pot heads. Turns out, Mario picked up some hitchhikers high on LSD. They someone got him out to the river and killed him. So, I quess it was drug related.
Hi group it's Brenda Chadwick Burke I do remember Mario not real closely but when I see his face and his name there is a connection I don't know if he was in a class with me and again I was not at school in 1970. What an extremely sad story. I know when I went through the list of people who passed away I was shocked I don't know if any of the rest of you were with 300 in the class? I thought it was larger than that I was trying to do this which I can't do with the national stats are and it seem to me that we had lost too many people one person is too many to lose. I remember most Peter Hilmes because I had him in classes that I think he was on my bus route it was the second time in my life and just a few years before that my neighbors daughter who had died of leukemia. I remember going over there because our families were such good friends . I remember going over there her name was Linda hood and she had a brother and sister Alan and Debbie hood. I had never been with someone that young and I think she was around my age or maybe a couple of years younger and going through that experience. Maybe that's probably why I knew so much about leukemia Hotchkins disease etc. when Peter Helms became sick I think if Peter or if people didn't even know Peter they knew they had he had this disease and I look back now at the age of 63 and feel so naïve but at the same Time and still do have a very very deep feeling of people who die young. The list was too long and I knew many people on that list maybe not directly but I knew their names and I knew we were in classes together. Even though I will not be at the reunion I do hope all of you especially at the age we are at now take time to remember these people are classmates specially Peter like people like Peter Mario and all of the ones on the list who left us so young. I also know any in our class have had many losses during their lives are parents some children some siblings when mover first it's a war that first year and 67 I could never imagined my mother father ever being gone much less my youngest sister she was only seven years old. I'm sure all of us felt being 63 was ancient life is fragile. I am so's hurry to hear the story of Mario I hope God blessed his family. And bless the family of all of those that we lost in our high school years and after. Love Brenda Chadwick Burke
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Jacqueline Kohl
03/19/2015: I wish I could say I'm too old to remember, but his story will never be forgotten. Mario was killed our Senior year. His death was 06/27/1970. Its hard to believe that 45 years has gone by so fast. I have never forgot what a good friend you were to us. You have been missed my friend.
Paula Piazza (Bandura)
Hi Jacqueline,
I didn't realize Mario was killed. What happened?
I remember him as a sweet sout!
Fondly,
Paula
Carmela Bonifasi
I didn't know Mario but I was one of about 200 people questioned in his death. My father was present during the questioning...that is when my father learned I smoked pot. The police thought it was "drug" related and questioned "known" pot heads. Turns out, Mario picked up some hitchhikers high on LSD. They someone got him out to the river and killed him. So, I quess it was drug related.
Brenda Chadwick (Burke)
Hi group it's Brenda Chadwick Burke I do remember Mario not real closely but when I see his face and his name there is a connection I don't know if he was in a class with me and again I was not at school in 1970. What an extremely sad story. I know when I went through the list of people who passed away I was shocked I don't know if any of the rest of you were with 300 in the class? I thought it was larger than that I was trying to do this which I can't do with the national stats are and it seem to me that we had lost too many people one person is too many to lose. I remember most Peter Hilmes because I had him in classes that I think he was on my bus route it was the second time in my life and just a few years before that my neighbors daughter who had died of leukemia. I remember going over there because our families were such good friends . I remember going over there her name was Linda hood and she had a brother and sister Alan and Debbie hood. I had never been with someone that young and I think she was around my age or maybe a couple of years younger and going through that experience. Maybe that's probably why I knew so much about leukemia Hotchkins disease etc. when Peter Helms became sick I think if Peter or if people didn't even know Peter they knew they had he had this disease and I look back now at the age of 63 and feel so naïve but at the same Time and still do have a very very deep feeling of people who die young. The list was too long and I knew many people on that list maybe not directly but I knew their names and I knew we were in classes together. Even though I will not be at the reunion I do hope all of you especially at the age we are at now take time to remember these people are classmates specially Peter like people like Peter Mario and all of the ones on the list who left us so young. I also know any in our class have had many losses during their lives are parents some children some siblings when mover first it's a war that first year and 67 I could never imagined my mother father ever being gone much less my youngest sister she was only seven years old. I'm sure all of us felt being 63 was ancient life is fragile. I am so's hurry to hear the story of Mario I hope God blessed his family. And bless the family of all of those that we lost in our high school years and after. Love Brenda Chadwick Burke