IN MEMORY OF THOSE KILLED IN THE SHOOL SHOOTING IN CONNECTICUT 12-14-12

The family of 6-year-old Avielle Richman had recently moved to Newtown from San Diego. Richman’s parents maintained a blog that documented the precious angel’s life whose smile can brighten up a room. One of the family’s last updates included photos from the Stamford Thanksgiving Day Parade.

A year ago, 6-year-old Ana Marquez-Greene was reveling in holiday celebrations with her extended family on her first trip to Puerto Rico. This year will be heartbreakingly different. The girl’s grandmother, Elba Marquez, said the family moved to Connecticut just two months ago, drawn from Canada, in part, by Sandy Hook’s sterling reputation. The grandmother’s brother, Jorge Marquez, is mayor of a Puerto Rican town and said the child’s 9-year-old brother also was at the school but escaped safely. Elba Marquez had just visited the new home over Thanksgiving and is perplexed by what happened. “What happened does not match up with the place where they live,” she said. A video spreading across the Internet shows a confident Ana hitting every note as she sings “Come, Thou Almighty King.” She flashes a big grin and waves to the camera when she’s done.

Music surrounded 6-year-old Benjamin Wheeler as he grew up in a household where both his mother and father were performers. They left behind stage careers in New York City when they moved to Newtown with Benjamin and his older brother Nate.“We knew we wanted a piece of lawn, somewhere quiet, somewhere with good schools,” Francine Wheeler told the Newtown Bee in a profile. She is a music educator and singer-songwriter. Sometimes the musical mother would try out tunes on her own children, with some tunes that she made up for Ben as a baby eventually finding their way onto a CD, she told the newspaper.

Caroline Phoebe Previdi, 6, daughter of Jeffrey and Sandy Johnson Previdi and sister of Walker, from Sandy Hook, CT died on Friday, December 14, 2012 in the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Caroline was born in Danbury on September 9, 2006. She was a first grade student at the school and a lifetime resident of Sandy Hook. Caroline was a member of St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown. Caroline loved to draw and dance. Her smile brought happiness to everyone she touched.

Catherine’s parents released a statement expressing gratitude to emergency responders and for the support of the community.“We are greatly saddened by the loss of our beautiful daughter, Catherine Violet and our thoughts and prayers are with the other families who have been affected by this tragedy,” Jennifer and Matthew Hubbard said. “We ask that you continue to pray for us and the other families who have experienced loss in this tragedy.”

They were supposed to be for the holidays, but finally on Friday, after hearing much begging, Charlotte Bacon’s mother relented and let her wear the new pink dress and boots to school. It was the last outfit the outgoing redhead would ever pick out. Charlotte’s older brother, Guy, was also in the school but was not shot. Her parents, JoAnn and Joel, had lived in Newtown for four or five years, JoAnn’s brother John Hagen, of Nisswa, Minn., told Newsday.“She was going to go some places in this world,” Hagen told the newspaper. “This little girl could light up the room for anyone.”

Chase Kowalski was always outside, playing in the backyard, riding his bicycle. Just last week, he was visiting neighbor Kevin Grimes, telling him about completing – and winning – his first mini-triathlon.“You couldn’t think of a better child,” Grimes said. Grimes’ own five children all attended Sandy Hook, too. Cars lined up outside the Kowalskis’ ranch home Saturday, and a state trooper’s car idled in the driveway. Grimes spoke of the boy only in the present tense.

Daniel’s family says he was “fearless in the pursuit of happiness in life.”He was the youngest of three children and in a statement to the media, his family said Daniel earned his missing two front teeth and ripped jeans.“Words really cannot express what a special boy Daniel was. Such a light. Always smiling, unfailingly polite, incredibly affectionate, fair and so thoughtful towards others, imaginative in play, both intelligent and articulate in conversation: in all, a constant source of laughter and joy,” the family said.

Dawn Hochsprung’s pride in Sandy Hook Elementary was clear. She regularly tweeted photos from her time as principal there, giving indelible glimpses of life at a place now known for tragedy. Just this week, it was an image of fourth-graders rehearsing for their winter concert; days before that, the tiny hands of kindergartners exchanging play money at their makeshift grocery store. She viewed her school as a model, telling The Newtown Bee in 2010 that “I don’t think you could find a more positive place to bring students to every day.” She had worked to make Sandy Hook a place of safety, too, and in October, the 47-year-old Hochsprung shared a picture of the school’s evacuation drill with the message “safety first.” When the unthinkable came, she was ready to defend. Officials said she died while lunging at the gunman in an attempt to overtake him.

Dylan Hockley, 6, was among the young victims who was tragically killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. Hockley had reportedly just moved to the United States from Britain. The Telegraph reports, “He and his brother Jake, eight, were ‘best buddies’ who did everything together and, as both were ‘confident lads,’ they had already made many new friends.”

Quick to cheer up those in need of a smile, Emilie Parker never missed a chance to draw a picture or make a card. Her father, Robbie Parker, fought back tears as he described the beautiful, blond, always-smiling girl who loved to try new things, except foods. Parker, one of the first parents to publicly talk about his loss, expressed no animosity for the gunman, even as he struggled to explain the death to his other two children, ages 3 and 4. He’s sustained by the fact that the world is better for having had Emilie in it.“I’m so blessed to be her dad,” he said.

With broken hearts, the parents of Grace Audrey McDonnell said Sunday they couldn’t believe the outpouring of support they’ve received since the little girl who was the center of their lives died in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Lynn and Chris McDonnell called their 7-year-old daughter “the love and light” of their family in a statement released by the little girl’s uncle. The family also shared a photo featuring Grace smiling into the camera, her eyes shining and a pink bow adorning her long blonde hair.“Words cannot adequately express our sense of loss,” the McDonnells said.

6-year-old James Mattioli especially loved recess and math, and his family described him as a “numbers guy” who came up with insights beyond his years to explain the relationship between numbers. He particularly loved the concept of googolplex, which a friend taught him. He was born four weeks before his due date, and his family often joked that he came into the world early because he was hungry.

6-year-old Jesse Lewis had hot chocolate with his favorite breakfast sandwich – sausage, egg and cheese – at the neighborhood deli before going to school Friday morning. Jesse and his parents were regulars at the Misty Vale Deli in Sandy Hook, Conn., owner Angel Salazar told The Wall Street Journal.“He was always friendly; he always liked to talk,” Salazar said.

A happy soul. A good mother, wife and daughter. Artistic, fun-loving, witty and hardworking. Remembering their daughter, Anne Marie Murphy, her parents had no shortage of adjectives to offer Newsday. When news of the shooting broke, Hugh and Alice McGowan waited for word of their daughter as hours ticked by. And then it came. Authorities told the couple their daughter was a hero who helped shield some of her students from the rain of bullets. As the grim news arrived, the victim’s mother reached for her rosary.“You don’t expect your daughter to be murdered,” her father told the newspaper. “It happens on TV. It happens elsewhere.”

According to her parents, 6-year-old Jessica Rekos loved everything about horses. In a statement, Rich and Krista Rekos said “She devoted her free time to watching horse movies, reading horse books, drawing horses, and writing stories about horses.”When she turned 10, they promised, she could have a horse of her own. For Christmas, she asked Santa for new cowgirl boots and hat. The Rekoses described their daughter as “a creative, beautiful little girl who loved playing with her little brothers, Travis and Shane.

7-year-old Josephine Gay had just celebrated her birthday on Tuesday, three days before the shootings. She loved the color purple, according to the Wall Street Journal. A neighbor recalled the family as “very welcoming.”

Lauren Rousseau, 30, had spent years working as a substitute teacher and doing other jobs. So she was thrilled when she finally realized her goal this fall to become a full-time teacher at Sandy Hook. Her mother, Teresa Rousseau, a copy editor at the Danbury News-Times, released a statement Saturday that said state police told them just after midnight that she was among the victims.

When the shots rang out, Mary Sherlach, 56, threw herself into the danger. Janet Robinson, the superintendent of Newtown Public Schools, said Sherlach and the school’s principal ran toward the shooter. They lost their own lives, rushing toward him. Even as Sherlach neared retirement, her job at Sandy Hook was one she loved. Those who knew her called her a wonderful neighbor, a beautiful person, a dedicated educator.

Noah Pozner, 6, was “smart as a whip,” gentle but with a rambunctious streak, said his uncle, Alexis Haller of Woodinville, Wash. Noah’s twin sister Arielle, assigned to a different classroom, survived the shooting. He called her his best friend, and with their 8-year-old sister, Sophia, they were inseparable.“They were always playing together, they loved to do things together,” Haller said. When his mother, a nurse, would tell him she loved him, he would answer, “Not as much as I love you, Mom.”

6-year-old Olivia Engel loved school, did very well in math and reading, and was “insightful for her age,” said the statement released by her uncle, John Engel. She was a child who “lit up a room and the people around her.” Creative with drawing and designing, she was also a tennis and soccer player and took art classes, swimming, and dance lessons in ballet and hip hop. A Daisy Girl Scout, she enjoyed musical theater.

Days before the Connecticut shooting rampage, the boyfriend of Rachel D’Avino, 29, had asked her parents for permission to marry her. D’Avino was a behavioral therapist who had only recently started working at the school where she was killed, according to Lissa Lovetere Stone, a friend who is handling her funeral planned for Friday. D’Avino’s boyfriend, Anthony Cerritelli, planned to ask her to marry him on Christmas Eve, Lovetere Stone said.

Those who knew 27-year-old Vicki Soto said they weren’t surprised by reports she shielded her first-graders from danger by hiding them in a closet.“We heard at one point that they found some people hiding in a closet, and all of us said Vicki would never be hiding in a closet. She would be out there protecting those babies,” her mother, Donna Soto, told CBS’ “This Morning.”Soto said her eldest daughter, who had two younger sisters and a brother, used to joke that she was “the perfect one” of the siblings. They got back by calling her “The Queen V.”

Nancy Lanza, 52, was discovered dead in her Connecticut home on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. According to the authorities, she suffered numerous gunshot wounds to the head. Investigators said Adam Lanza killed his mother before driving to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where he opened fire on staff and students, killing 20 children and six adults before taking his own life. (HANDOUT)

The family of 6-year-old Jack Pinto described him to be a huge New York Giants fan who idolized wide receiver Victor Cruz. To pay tribute to the first grader, Cruz wrote the name “Jack Pinto” on his cleats and gloves in this weekend’s face-off with the Falcons. The boy will reportedly be laid to rest in Cruz’s number 80 jersey.