#john tomlin

[famefker3-0]

Seven months prior to his death, sixteen year old John Tomlin met his girlfriend, Michelle Oetter, at a church youth group. Michelle was a student at Ponderosa High School, and the two were planning to attend her prom together on Saturday, May 1st. For the occasion, John had told Michelle that he would go with her: “but I had to teach him how to dance first,” she said.

At the time, Michelle was just seventeen years old. Of her late boyfriend, she had recalled, “He treated me like the queen of the world. He spent so much money trotting back and forth to my house, but he always said I was worth it.”

According to Michelle, the last seven months of John's life were his happiest, as he felt lonely when he had first moved to the Littleton area.

During his April 23rd memorial service at the Foothils Bible Church, Michelle had stated, “I don’t think there are enough words to tell you how much John meant to me. The biggest impact John had on me was how much he cared about me, how he would do anything to make me smile and make me happy.”

[alwaysracheljoyscott]

‘’Sixteen. The age my oldest brother died.  I remember it being such a peculiar feeling when I turned sixteen, thinking about what it would be like if that was my last year of life, as it was for my brother. Then it was an even sadder, stranger feeling when I turned seventeen. I was now officially older than my oldest brother ever had been. It was almost an eerie feeling, like I shouldn’t be there, I shouldn’t be older than my older brother. I was entering territory he never had the chance to walk. It was another odd day, on the twelfth anniversary of my brother’s death, when I had officially lived longer without him, than with him. You know how when you haven’t seen maybe a niece or nephew for a few years and when you see them again you just keep picturing them how you last saw them? It’s like they have been frozen in your memory the way they were when you last saw them. I cringe a little bit when people complain about getting older. I understand their sentiments, and I’m sure I too will complain about the aches and pains that can plague a body that has been around the sun many times, but what I wouldn’t give for my brother to have celebrated another birthday. It really is a privilege denied to many. Our family grieves but we keep moving forward, we just keep swimming and there isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t talk about heaven.’’  -   Ashley Tomlin, John’s sister.

[cassierenebernall]