It is with deep sadness that we report the deaths of these, our classmates.  

• They are our childhood friends, our team mates, the quiet boy in the back of math class that seldom spoke and the girl with the terrific voice in chorus.  

• They are the people who grew up with us, who played Little League baseball, grade school basketball and in 4H.  

• They shared our experiences and dreams, they helped us with our homework, shared our nervousness about tests, worked on class projects, cheered our teams at pep rallies, helped build homecoming floats and cried with us at graduation.  

• Some were boyfriends and girlfriends and shared our first kiss. Others we barely knew.  

• They were the class clown, the trombone player, the class favorite, the most likely to succeed, the majorette, and the guy that always skipped class.  

• They included that kid you never got to know who moved in during your Junior year but who always waved in the hall and the one who you always saw smoking in the parking lot.  

When we first found out they were gone, we were shocked.  Outrage and memories flow together in a river of disbelief.  Their deaths bring each of us face to face with our own mortality.  And while they may be gone from this life, their memories will reside forever in our hearts and minds and will continue to affect us in ways we will carry with us the rest of our lives.  They will be missed dearly.  

• Please take a moment to say a prayer for them and their families but also take a moment to remember the good times we had and reflect on the importance they played in your lives.