Week 8 - Shenango Valley Foundation

Week 8 is a somber donation in support of some children who have been through a horrific tragedy. In November of 2010, I got a message from an old coworker. I will never forget that message. I have omitted names for the privacy of the family. The message only said "T and his wife are dead." I called to hear the shocked voice of my friend telling me that one of our past co-workers had killed his wife and then himself. I remember the chill that went through me and subsequent shock when turning on the TV and listening to the news.

I don't care to write of the details, as it too sad. The overwhelming urge all of us who knew this person was to send as much love and support to the two little kids left behind as possible. To have both their parents ripped out of their lives in one terrible day is too hard for me to think about. As the mother of similar aged kids, I can't bear that loss to those children. A child's mother will always be their greatest protector in life, their advocate, their lifeline. Fortunately, these children have the support of grandparents, however their lives are forever marred by this senseless act.

This incident made a lot of us think hard about our lives and the people in them. This person was our co-worker and our friend. I remember sitting in his office, amidst piles of papers and notebooks strewn on the floor as he reviewed my data. To this day, I still have emails in my Outlook archive from him. Someone capable of murdering his wife in cold blood is quietly sitting in my inbox like a strange intruder from the past. We wondered whether there would be a funeral? Does a terrible final act define the entirety of a person's life? What do you say at the funeral of such a person? He blotted out the life of the mother of his children and in doing so, defined his entire existence as a murderer. He will not be remembered as a brilliant scientist or father or friend.

This donation will be made the the Shenango Valley Foundation who manages the fund for the children's education. Money seems inadequate in this situation, however these kids have a hard road in front of them and the fewer obstacles on that path, the better.

As some of you will notice, week 8 is late in coming. So stay tuned for week 9 in the next few days!