To those we lost in Aurora Colorado
On July 20th we lost 12 people in Aurora Colorado. They will be sorely missed by their family and friends. They may be gone but will NEVER be forgotten. These are the victims;
John Larimer was a Navy sailor based at Buckley Air Force Base, where he was a cryptologic technician -- a job that the Navy says on its website should be filled by someone with "exceptionally good character, above-average writing and speaking skills, a good memory, curiosity and resourcefulness." Those who knew him described him in similar terms. The 27-year-old and another active service member, Air Force Sgt. Jesse Childress, were killed in the shooting rampage, the military said Saturday. Larimer, who grew up in the Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake, Ill., joined the service just over a year ago, the Navy said. A valued member of our Navy team, he will be missed by all who knew him. My heart goes out to John's family, friends and loved ones, as well as to all the victims of this horrible tragedy," said Cmdr. Jeffrey Jakuboski, his commanding officer, in a written statement. Larimer was the youngest of five siblings. Neighbors in his hometown recalled his sense of humor. "We love you, John, and we will miss you always," his parents said in a statement
Rebecca Ann Wingo had started a job several months ago as a customer relations representative at a mobile medical imaging company. She was 32.Shannon Dominguez, who worked with Wingo on weekends, said she was friendly with everyone and always seemed to be in a good mood.“I didn’t really know her well but she had a really bubbly personality,” Dominguez said. “She was a pretty happy person. She just never really seemed … like with work, she never got irritated. She was pretty happy to be here.” RIP Rebecca
Alexander C. Teves, 24, of Phoenix, earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology in June from University of Denver. . He was a lovable person who made friends quickly and had a lot of them, said his grandfather, Carlo Iacovelli of Barnegat, N.J. As a boy, Teves moved from New Jersey to Phoenix with his parents. Iacovelli and his wife wintered there and spent a lot of time with him. “He was what you might call an ideal grandson,” Iacovelli said. “He was a fun guy. He loved to eat.” Teves was planning to become a psychiatrist, his grandfather said. “He had a lot to look forward to,” Iacovelli said. RIP Alex
Alex Sullivan's family called him "their real life super hero," and he was at "The Dark Knight Rises" premiere celebrating his 27th birthday and his first wedding anniversary. "Alex was a gentle giant, known and loved by so many. He always had a glowing smile on his face and he made friends with everyone. Alex enjoyed all sorts of movies, was an avid comic book geek and loved the New York Mets," the family said in a statement. Sullivan had a warm smile and an innocence that endeared him to people, said Shelly Fradkin, whose son Brian was good friends with Sullivan.She sat next to a makeshift memorial Friday near the theater where an oversized birthday card with a photo of a smiling Sullivan was displayed."He's amazing. He was just a big teddy bear. Great hugs," she said. She said Sullivan was such a big movie fan that he took jobs at theaters just to see movies. Fradkin and her son spent an "excruciating" day trying to find Sullivan before learning of his death, she said. "We're shocked. We're numb. We're sick," she said. "Our hearts are broken, and we're crushed."
When Ashley Moser took her 6-year-old daughter(Veronica) to see the midnight showing of the latest Batman movie on Thursday, it was supposed to be a time to unwind after months of hardship. “Veronica was a typical 6-year-old. She loved school, loved playing,"said her aunt, Annie Dalton. “She had just started swimming lessons at a local recreation center, which she enjoyed. She was to start first grade in the fall.” But then came the early hours of Friday. Moser, a male friend and Veronica were in the theater, half an hour into The Dark Knight Rises, when a gunman entered and shot 71 people, killing 12.On police radio calls someone is heard saying: "We have a child down and cannot evacuate." The gunman killed Veronica; Moser caught a bullet to the neck. Dalton said she is paralyzed. In the two days following the shooting, Moser drifted in and out of consciousness at the hospital. On Saturday, Moser’s mother, a chaplain and a doctor sat by her side and told her the devastating news: Her daughter had died in the shooting. Moser was crushed. Until recently, Moser and Veronica, lived with Moser's father -- Veronica's grandfather -- David Moser. They were a tight-knit family. But eight weeks ago, David Moser, 65, died after a 10-month battle with leukemia. Moser's father’s death crushed her, she was very close to him.” said Dalton. Dalton said her father’s illness also drained family resources; David Moser was penniless when he died, she said. Ashley Moser and her little girl then moved in with an uncle, where they were living when they headed out for the AMC Theater Century 16. R.I.P little angel, you will NEVER be forgotten
Micayla Medek loved a night out with her friends, and she was with a group of about 10 of them at the "Dark Knight Rises" premiere. Medek was "Cayla" to her family and friends. She was 23 years old and juggling classes at Aurora Community College with a job at a Subway sandwich shop. An ardent Green Bay Packers fan, Medek, who lived in the Denver suburb of Westminster, would plan her schedule around watching Packers games with her sister and father."It was probably just like going to church every Sunday," Zakovich said.Medek was an independent-minded and sweet girl who rarely asked her family for anything."She was one who wouldn't hurt anybody. She was a very loving person. This shouldn't have happened to somebody like her." RIP 'Cayla'
Matt McQuinn’s last living act was to shield his girlfriend from the hail of bullets sprayed by the gunman. Samantha Yowler, 27, was shot in the knee. Her brother escaped without injury. But McQuinn, from St. Paris, Ohio, was not as fortunate. McQuinn's mother, Jeri Jackson, flew to Colorado on Friday as family members in Springfield tried to get information about what happened to McQuinn. Matt McQuinn graduated from Vandalia-Butler High School in 2004. He met Yowler while the two were working at a Target store in Springfield. In November, the couple transferred to a Target store in Denver, joining Yowler's brother, who had lived in Colorado for the past few years. RIP Matt
Jessica Ghawi recently wrote a blog post after surviving a shooting at a Toronto mall, saying it showed her "how fragile life was." Friends say the 24-year-old, who moved to Colorado from Texas about a year ago, didn't let the June 2 shooting in Toronto change her outlook on life as she pursued a career in sports journalism. "I think she even looked at that like, 'Hey, even after that, I'm able to pursue my dream,'" said Peter Burns, a radio sports show host with Mile High Sports Radio in Denver, where Ghawi recently interned. That shooting left two dead and several injured. Her blog post last month said: "I saw the victims of a senseless crime. I saw lives change. "I was reminded that we don't know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath." Former colleagues described her as ambitious and hardworking. She went by the name "Redfield," a play on her red hair, because it was easy to say and remember, both professionally and on her social media accounts. She was a regular user of twitter, her last post stated in all capital letters, "MOVIE DOESNT START FOR 20 MINUTES!" R.I.P. Jessica
Gordon Cowden loved life and his family, and he had gone to the midnight movie premiere with his two teenage children. At 51, he was the oldest of the victims killed in the shooting. He lived in Aurora, but was described as a "true Texas gentleman" in a family statement. He loved the outdoors and owned his own business. "A quick witted world traveler with a keen sense of humor, he will be remembered for his devotion to his children and for always trying his best to do the right thing, no matter the obstacle," his family said. His teenage children escaped the shooting unharmed. R.I.P Gordon
Jesse Childress was an Air Force cyber-systems operator based at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora. Air Force Capt. Andrew Williams described the 29-year-old from Thornton, Colo., as knowledgeable, experienced and respectful. "We're going to miss him incredibly," he said. Tech Sgt. Alejandro Sanchez, a co-worker, told the AP that Childress was his good friend and they were on a bowling team together. "He would help anyone and always was great for our Air Force unit," he said. Another co-worker, Ashley Wassinger, said Childress "was a great person fun to be with, always positive and laughing." "Really just an amazing person, and I am so lucky to have been his friend," she said. R.I.P Staff STG. We salute you
Alexander J. Boik, an 18-year-old known as AJ, had a reputation for making people laugh and tried to bring back the mullet hair cut in his freshman year of high school. Boik, a catcher who played on the team through his junior year, had recently graduated from Gateway High School in Aurora. He also played in the school orchestra. He was to start classes at the Rocky Mountain College of art and design in the fall. Gateway principal Bill Hedges said Boik planned to become an art teacher. A friend, Jordan Crofter, described Boik as someone who "didn't hold anything back. He was just his own person." "He was a ball of joy. He was never sad or depressed. He wanted everybody to be happy," Crofter said. The family said in a statement that the 18-year-old was loved by all who knew him and was dating "a beautiful young lady" who was with him at the theater and survived. Crofter said Boik and his girlfriend made a "perfect couple," and people expected them to get married. "If he were still here, he'd try to make everyone have a positive outlook of the situation and not allow it to affect their outlook of life," Crofter said. R.I.P. AJ
Jonathan Blunk had high hopes for the future, with plans to re-enlist in the Navy and the goal of becoming a Navy SEAL. The 26-year-old served three tours in the Persian Gulf and North Arabian Sea between 2004 and 2009. Blunk was also a certified firefighter and EMT. He died in the shooting Friday after throwing himself in front of girlfriend Jansen Young and saving her life. "That's something he would do," Gill said. "If he was going to choose a way to die, that's how he wanted to go -- defending someone from a (person) like that." Blunk had a 4 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. R.I.P. Sailor.