In Loving Memory Of Aurora Colorado's Movie Theater Victims

Jul 20, 2013

AURORA, CO- It was one year ago that a gunman walked in to the Century 21 theater in Aurora and opened fire, killing 12 people and wounding 70 others.
The commemoration actually began two nights ago, with the Aurora community gathering for a prayer service at the Potter's House Church of Denver. More than 3,000 people, including victims, their families and first responders, were in attendance to show the strength and resiliency of this community. It was framed as a "service of prayer for peace".
The focus of this one year anniversary is not so much on the man accused in this violent act, but rather the 12 lives lost and the countless lives changed as a direct result of the violence. Among the victims:
Matt McQuinn. He shielded his girlfriend during the shooting.
Jesse Childress was an Air Force cyber-systems operator based at Buckley Air Force Base.
Alex Sullivan was celebrating his 27th birthday at the movie premier. The following Sunday would have been his first wedding anniversary.
Veronica Moser-Sullivan was the youngest person killed at just 6-years-old. Her mother Ashley was pregnant at the time. She miscarried and is paralyzed as a result of the shooting.
Alexander C. Teves was a 24-year-old from Phoenix, who earned a master's degree in counseling psychology in June from the University of Denver. Teves was with his girlfriend at the theater in Aurora when the shooting happened. His aunt, Barbara Slivinske, said: "He pushed her, his girlfriend down, so that she would be safe and he was getting to the ground but the shots got him before he got to the ground."
Jonathan Blunk was a 26-year-old father of two. He'd served three tours in the Persian Gulf and North Arabian Sea between 2004 and 2009. Blunk was also a certified firefighter and emergency medical technician. Blunk died in the shooting after throwing himself in front of friend Jansen Young, and saving her life. He told her to stay down.
Alexander Jonathan ("A.J.") Boik enjoyed baseball, music and making pottery, and dreamed of becoming an art teacher. He was a 2012 graduate of Gateway High School who had been accepted at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, where he planned on attending classes in the fall.
Petty Officer Third Class John Thomas Larimer, of Crystal Lake, Ill., died from his injuries. Larimer was one of 12 people, including two active-duty service members, who died in the mass shooting.
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, "Cayla" to family and friends, was 23 years old and juggling classes at Aurora Community College with a job at a Subway sandwich shop, said her aunt Jenny Zakovich.
Gordon Cowden had gone to the midnight movie premiere with his two teenage children. At 51-years-old, he was the oldest of the victims killed in the shooting. His children escaped unharmed.
Jessica Gawhi, 24-years-old, was an aspiring sportscaster, interning at 104.3 "the Fan". The month before her death, she escaped a mass shooting in Toronto by just minutes.
Rebecca Wingo, 32-years-old, joined the Air Force after high school. She was raising two daughters while putting herself back through school to become a social worker.


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Prayer Vigil Aurora Municipal Center Campus

Jonathan Blunk
The father of two, Blunk, 26, served five years in the Navy. A great man, loving husband and father, and incredible person gone far too soon from this world. You'll forever be in our hearts and minds Jonny. You have touched so many people in so many ways. We wish you were here to see all of this, and all of the people that love you in so many ways. This is for you brother. A gathering place for all of your family, friends, and people who care for you. Rest in Paradise. 
Jonathan attended the movie that night with 21 year old Jansen Young to celebrate her graduation from veterinarian school. As the black-clad killer James Holmes burst into the theater Jonathan pushed Jansen on the ground and under her seat, then threw his body on top of her's. He was shot and killed protecting her. Jonathan died fulfilling a lifelong dream of wanting to be a HERO.


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Alexander J. Boik, 18
18-year-old A.J. Boik. His girlfriend and another of his friends attended the screening with him, but they both survived the shooting.
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. "He tried to rock the mullet," said Tyler Lynch, 20, who played baseball with Boik on their high school team.
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." Boik was killed Friday, July 20 in the shootings at an Aurora, Colo. movie theater. His girlfriend 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.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Jesse Childress
Jesse Childress, a staff sergeant in the Air Force reserves, had been on active duty with the 310 Force Support Squadron, 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.


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Gordon Cowden
At 51, Cowden was the eldest victim. He had taken his two teenagers, who escaped unharmed. His family describes him as a “loving father, outdoorsman and small business owner, Cowden was a true Texas gentleman … 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.
"Our hearts go out to everyone that has been harmed by this senseless tragedy," they said.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Jessica Ghawi, 24
The aspiring sports journalist, whose professional name was Jessica Redfield – had blogged about her brush with fate the month before, when she narrowly missed another random shooting at a Toronto mall. “I saw the victims of senseless crime. I saw lives change,” she wrote. “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.” saying it showed her "how fragile life was."
She 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 tweeter and her last post to the micro-blogging website stated in all capital letters, "movie doesn't start for 20 minutes."
Brent Lowak, Ghawi's close friend who was with her at the theater, described to his family how he tried to tend to her wound before she was fatally shot.
Lowak was expected to make a full recovery from a wound in his backside.
"He wants so badly to be well enough to be at her memorial service," said his mother, Sue Greene.
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

John Larimer
Naval Petty Officer Third Class John Larimer. John 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. In a written statement, his commanding officer Cmdr. Jeffrey Jakuboski wrote, "My heart goes out to John's family, friends and loved ones, as well as to all the victims of this horrible tragedy," said , , “He will be missed by all who knew him.”
Those who knew him described him in similar terms.
Larimer, who grew up in the Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake, Ill.
A family member told the Daily Herald newspaper in Arlington Heights, Ill., that 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.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Matt McQuinn
McQuinn, a 27-year-old Target store worker, had been protecting girlfriend Samantha Yowler from gunshots when he was hit. Although Yowler was struck in the knee, she is expected to make a full recovery.
As the attack in the movie theater unfolded on Friday, July, 20 in Aurora, Matt McQuinn dove in front of his girlfriend and her older brother to shield them from the gunfire.
Yowler was recovering from surgery after she was shot in the knee at the theater. Her 32-year-old brother, Nick Yowler, who also shielded his sister, was not injured.
McQuinn and Yowler moved to Colorado from Ohio last fall. A Colorado co-worker told the Springfield News-Sun that McQuinn and Samantha Yowler worked with her at Target.
"They're really fun people. We always go out together," said Melissa Downen.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Micayla Medek 23
Medek was a student at the Community College of Aurora and was set to graduate in 2015. Under her Facebook’s “About” section, she wrote: “I’m a simple, independent girl (sic) who’s just trying to get her life together.”
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 Friday, July 20, in Aurora, Colo.
She was "Cayla" to her family and friends. She was juggling classes at Aurora Community College with a job at a Subway sandwich shop, said her aunt Jenny Zakovich, of South Milwaukee, Wis.
"She didn't know what she wanted to do," Zakovich said. "I think her plans were to finish community college and go into a better paying job — probably in the computer field."
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.
Zakovich said she was planning to look for tickets to a Packers game so her brother could surprise Medek and her sister.
Medek was an independent-minded and sweet girl who rarely asked her family for anything, Zakovich said.
"She was one who wouldn't hurt anybody. She was a very loving person. This shouldn't have happened to somebody like her."

 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Veronica Moser-Sullivan
Just 6 years old, she was the youngest of the victims killed in the attack July 20, at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.
Veronica was the only child of Ashley Moser and had just recently learned to swim. “She was a "great little girl, excited about life," said her aunt Annie Dalton.
Veronica’s mother  was critically injured, with gunshot wounds to her neck and abdomen.
 

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Alex Sullivan
An employee at the Aurora movie theater, Sullivan’s 27th birthday coincided with Friday morning’s Dark Knight premiere. He also planned to celebrate his first wedding anniversary with his wife, Cassie, on Sunday.
Alex Sullivan's family called him "their real life super hero.”       
"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."
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Alex Teves
A recent graduate of the University of Denver, the 24-year-old Phoenix native had earned his master’s degree in counseling psychology in June.
Whether he was running through obstacle courses at a Tough Mudder competition or interning at a school for students with special needs, Alexander C. Teves saw life as an adventure.
"Alex will be remembered as an intelligent young man with a passion for living life to the fullest," said Mary Gomez, a counseling psychology professor at the University of Denver and one of Teves' graduate advisors.
Gomez said Teves was a compassionate, positive person.
"His top priority was his relationships. His loyalty is admirable and he always put his friends first," Gomez said.
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.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Rebecca Wingo
A mother of two girls, Wingo, 32, had joined the Air Force after high school and became a translator after mastering Mandarin Chinese. “I hear she died instantly, without pain, however the pain is unbearable,” her father, Steve Hernandez, posted on Facebook. “Lord why, why, why???”
While officiating the wedding ceremony for her two friends in 2010, Rebecca Wingo shed tears of happiness.
She had played a role in the two meeting each other, having taken her pal Cody Shafer out on the town the night he would meet his partner, Marq. So when the two men planned their nuptials, they knew Wingo had to be a part of it.
"That I'll have forever," he said. "Her laughter and then breaking down in the middle of our ceremony and crying."
Shafer and Wingo met in 2009 in an accounting class at a community college. Both single, recently out of the Air Force and new to town, they became fast friends.
"I don't think Rebecca ever met a stranger," Shafer said. "Her smile would just light up a room."
Wingo had started a job several months ago as a customer relations representative at a mobile medical imaging company.
Shafer said Rebecca was a hard-working single mother, balancing the raising of her two daughters with school and work.
"If she put her mind to something she was going to get it done," he said. "What an example she set for her little girls."
 

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

   
Thank you, Nite!