There Have Been 1,793 Gun-Related Deaths in the U.S. Since Newtown
Today, as children in Newtown went back to school, consecutive funeral services for two more students who died in the attack on Sandy Hook Elementary were conducted at Newtown's St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church. Though full text of eulogies to them have not been released, we're excerpting obituaries and remarks in celebration of their young lives.
James Mattioli, 6, was memorialized in an obituary published in The Newtown Bee:
An energetic, loving friend to all, James loved baseball, basketball, swimming, arm wrestling, and playing games on the iPad (especially the lawn mowing game). He loved to wear shorts and t-shirts in any weather, and grab the gel to spike his hair. He would often sing at the top of his lungs and once asked, "How old do I have to be to sing on a stage?"
James loved to dive off the diving board at the Treadwell Pool, swim like a fish in both of his grandparents’ pools and ride his bike, proudly without training wheels. He often said, “I need to go outside Mom, I need fresh air.” He spent endless hours playing hockey with his best bud and cousin, George.
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James was born four weeks early at Bridgeport Hospital. It was an ongoing quip that James came into the world early because he was hungry. He loved hamburgers with ketchup, his Dad’s egg omelets with bacon, and his Mom’s French toast. He often asked to stop at Subway for dinner for a ham sandwich, and wanted to know how old he needed to be to order a footlong sandwich.
Jessica Rekos, aged 6, was eulogized by her mother Krista Rekos. The New Haven Register published exerpts:
Krista Rekos told a church packed full of mourners Tuesday that “I always felt just so lucky to be your mom."
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Rekos said in her eulogy that in less than a week her daughter, who loved horses, would have been unwrapping cowboy boots and a hat.
Those are two things “she has always wanted,” Rekos said of Jessica. “She wanted real cowboy boots not one from Target,” her mom said.Jessica’s mother called her daughter the “CEO” of the family and her “daughter was smarter than her and her husband Rich combined.”
Rekos's parents spoke about their daughter in an interview with ABC News. Jessica's obituary was also published in the Bee.
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Esther Zuckerman
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