His Family Was Newtown

To the Editor:

Hi my name is Haley, and I am a sophomore at Newtown High School. I was recently at church on Sunday when Father Bob announced the passing of Bill. Everyone knows him as the “man on the tricycle,” but his real name was Bill. The whole church broke out into “gasps” on the news. My mom even started to cry.

When Father Bob mentioned how he really didn’t have any family, my heart sank. Later in the afternoon, I began to think about how everyone in town basically knew him. Then I realized, wow, Newtown was his family. He was always willing to lend a helping hand. When my mom was pregnant with my little sister, he helped her load her groceries into the car. My mom even offered him money for helping her, but he refused. He always said hello to everyone. Every time I saw him, he always had a smiling face on.

I just wanted to say, Bill, you always had a family that was right here for you, and that was Newtown. May he rest in peace.

Haley Russo

Oak Ridge, Newtown                                                  December 3, 2007