365 Days, 12 Months, One Year, Millions of Tears

A note from the editor:

Sunday, Aug. 30 will mark 365 days since the hearts were ripped from the chests of three local mothers.

It will be 12 months that three fathers have not been able to call out their son’s name and have them respond.

And one year that friends, teammates and relatives have shed countless tears of sadness, pain, frustration, anger, or choked back as many during bittersweet memories, times of laughter and moments that would have been made much better if their late friends were there.

This weekend is the first anniversary of a car accident that shook the Council Rock community to its core.

On Aug. 30, 2014, Cullen Keffer, Shamus Digney and Ryan Lesher lost their lives in a one-car accident in Paupack Township, Wayne County. They were all incoming sophomores at Council Rock South.

But most in the community know all too well the details of that accident.

So instead of recounting the crash and opening the incurable wounds that go along with it, we are reposting a piece that was published Sept. 5 on Newtown Patch, less than a week after the crash.

By Kara Seymour:

I love you, and I believe in you.

That is the opening line of an inspirational letter penned by a Council Rock School District teacher that has gone viral throughout the community as it mourns the loss of three students just days before the start of a new school year.

Richboro Middle School teacher Tom Cunningham posted the letter to the school’s webpage in an effort to support his students as they grieve and process the tragic deaths of Cullen Keffer, Shamus Digney and Ryan Lesher. All three were incoming sophomores at Council Rock South and were killed Saturday in a one-car accident in Paupack Township, Wayne County.

“Council Rock will grow through this. If we want to honor the boys, we have to. Sit down with a friend and LISTEN to them. Don’t interrupt, just listen. When they are done, look at them and say, ’I love you, and I believe in you.’ Empower your classmates with the understanding that they will never be alone.”

Cunningham’s message reverberated through the community as some students and teachers were in the midst of attending funerals three days in a row.

“Repeat these words out loud. I don’t care if you are sitting in your room by yourself, say these words out loud.

I CAN. I WILL. I MUST.

I CAN. I WILL. I MUST.

I can never forget these boys. I will never forget these boys. I must not forget these boys.

I can be empowered. I will be empowered. I must be empowered.”

The letter concludes with a testament to how the community has come together to support each other and the families of the deceased during their darkest hour.

“In 2014, Council Rock will not be remembered as the district that was devastated by 3 students passing away. 2014 will be the year that Council Rock turned a negative into a positive and created a revolution based around the idea of empowerment. That will be the boys legacy. That will be your legacy.

I love you, and I believe in you.”

Click here to read the full letter.