Thirteen innocent people, 12 students and one heroic teacher, lost their lives on April 20, 1999. Twenty-three were injured. Many more were traumatized. Who were they?
Cassie Bernall was 17, a junior at Columbine. She had an engaging laugh, long, beautiful blonde hair, clear blue eyes and a big warm smile that she generously shared. She loved music, snowboarding with her brother Chris, photography, travel, and youth group. Seeking to be an obstetrician, she dreamed of bringing new life into the world. She truly longed to know what heaven would be like and she strived to know the Lord whom she would meet there. Her heart’s desire was to live for Christ. Weeks before her death she expressed her anxiousness to see heaven, stating that she could “hardly wait to get there.”
Steven Curnow was the youngest victim, at 14, a freshman at Columbine. He was a quiet, thoughtful, generous and forgiving young man who never held a grudge, and was quick to offer help, encouragement, forgiveness and friendship to family, classmates and soccer teammates. Steve loved reading, watching adventure movies, and playing soccer. He came to realize he’d not make the school team, yet he never lost his love of the game, and even became a soccer referee. He dreamed of becoming an aviator after discovering the joy of flight during a family vacation to England.
Corey DePooter was 17, a junior at Columbine. He loved to talk and could have long conversations on the subjects he was passionate about. With his sense of humor, Corey could get have a whole room laughing. He was an outdoorsman at heart. He loved the mountains, camping with his family, golfing, and hunting, but fishing was his passion–and fly fishing in Yellowstone was a favorite. Every free hour he had he spent fishing. He had recently taken a maintenance job at a golf club to save up to buy his first car. His goal was to become an officer in the Marine Corps. He looked forward to becoming a husband and a father and sharing his faith with his children.
Kelly Fleming was 16. She was a shy and creative girl who loved Halloween and was an aspiring songwriter and author who wrote many poems and short stories based on her life experiences. Her poem, “Can That Be?”, was published in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul III. She had been writing an auto-biography, and had gotten as far as her fifth year. She regularly went to Columbine’s library to write. She was learning to drive and wanted to get a job at a day care center, and save enough money to buy a car. She loved to read, especially books about vampires. One day she hoped to be a published author. She entered many writing contests.
Matt Kechter was a 16-year old sophomore who had a strong devotion to his family. His family will always remember him for his love of the outdoors, his passion for sports, and his dedication to academic success. They’ll never forget his broad and proud grin when he caught his first trout. He loved to compete and strive for the best in all sports that he played, and while he loved to win, he also had a sense of fairness and integrity. He was a weight lifter and an ‘A’ student. In September of 1999 he was posthumously accepted into the National Honor Society. He was known as the go-to guy for homework, always finding time to lend a hand to others. He brought joy to those around him a kind word or gentle smile.
Dan Rohrbough was 15, and was described as a high spirited gift from God with an engaging smile and beautiful blue eyes that would light up a room. He was caring, always with a comforting hug. He enjoyed electronics, cooking and computer games. He was a funny kid with an infectious laugh. Family was very important to him. He helped in his father’s stereo business every day after school and during the summer he worked on his grandfather’s farm in Kansas harvesting wheat, as he had done since he was three. He used the money he earned to buy Christmas presents for his family.
Dave Sanders, 47, was born in Illinois. He played basketball and ran cross country in college. He became a business teacher at Columbine for 25 years, and was coach of the girls’ basketball and softball teams. He had four children and five grandchildren. His students said he was a teacher, a friend, a mentor and an inspiration—and he was a hero. When the gunmen started firing outside the school he ran to the cafeteria and sounded the alarm. He helped get more than 100 students out of the path of danger by herding them away from the shooters. He saved untold numbers of lives that day.
By the time the gunmen arrived, the cafeteria was nearly empty thanks to him. He was in the upstairs hall trying to get students safely hidden in classrooms when he was shot.
Rachel Scott was a 17 year old junior at Columbine. She liked photography and was active in the Celebration Christian Fellowship church. She was a very spiritual person who often wrote to God in her diaries. She had a sense of destiny and purpose. She also had a premonition her life would be short. The day she died she told a teacher, “I’m going to have an impact on the world.”
She became the inspiration for Rachel’s Challenge, a national organization that seeks to address the root causes of school violence through student wellness programs.
Isaiah Shoels was an 18 year old senior at Columbine. The love of God was first in his life, along with love for his parents and grandmother. He loved sports and playing and joking with his family. He He was taught to love others no matter how they treated him. After graduating he wanted to attend an arts college. Friends nicknamed him “Bushwick”. Born with a heart defect, his parents said he was a fighter who overcame his disability and went on to play football and wrestle. He had played cornerback the previous year on the football team but his father claimed he possibly quit because of racial intimidation. Isaiah also played keyboards and wanted to become a record producer, like his father.
John Tomlin was a 16 year old sophomore at Columbine. His parents say he had a broad smile and bright eyes. As a kid he loved baseball, cats, family and God. As a teen he added Chevy trucks and the Green Bay Packers to that list. His love for Jesus developed in him a strong set of Christian morals. He had a gentle disposition and a great sense of humor. He recently got his driver’s license and had just bought an old Chevy pickup that he had been working for since he was 14. He enjoyed off-roading in the mountains. He worked after school and on weekends at a nursery hauling trees and driving tractors 30 hours a week. He planned to join the army when he graduated.
Lauren Townsend was an 18 year old senior and co-captain of the girls’ varsity volleyball team, which her mother coached. She was a member of the National Honor Society and was valedictorian of her graduating class …posthumously. Lauren was a talented sketch artist as well. Nicknamed “Lulu,” she was a straight ‘A’ student- – she never got a ‘B’. She volunteered at soup kitchens and worked at a local animal hospital/kennel. She had planned to major in biology at Colorado State University when she graduated.
Kyle Velasquez was a 16 year old sophomore who, as a child, struggled with developmental delays and learning disabilities. He knew his limitations yet wanted to be like every other kid. He was just beginning to really like who he was. Kyle taught those who loved him so much about unconditional love, compassion, forgiveness, perseverance, and acceptance. He loved his brother Daniel, the family, cats, ice cream, pizza, and riding his bike. He watched sports with his dad and went to the library with his mom. Through all his delays and difficulties, he always smiled, forgave and saw the good in those around him.
Things you can do to honor the victims.
- Never forget them!
- Don’t get caught up in stories about the killers.
- Reflect on the victims. Find something about them that you really admire and then do it yourself!
- Make yourself a better person in honor of them!
- Do something positive in your home and in your community to reduce the levels of violence, hatred, and child alienation.
The Injured
Twenty-three students were physically wounded. Some were minor wounds, but some received life-altering, serious injuries. And please do not forget that many students and community members were deeply traumatized by this massacre, even to this day. Please keep all those wounded, and everyone affected by the Columbine tragedy, in your thoughts and prayers. The wounded:
- Brian Anderson
- Richard Castaldo
- Jennifer Doyle
- Stephen Austin Eubanks
- Nick Foss
- Sean Graves
- Anne Marie Hochhalter
- Makai Hall
- Patrick Ireland
- Joyce Jankowski
- Mike Johnson
- Mark Kintgen
- Lance Kirklin
- Lisa Kreutz
- Adam Kyles
- Stephanie Munson
- Pat Nielson
- Nicole Nowlen
- Jeanna Park
- Kasey Ruegsegger
- Valeen Schnurr
- Dan Steepleton
- Mark Taylor
And, of course, let us never forget that this tragedy shocked, harmed and traumatized many other people, beyond the grounds of Columbine High School, beyond the Columbine area, beyond Colorado, and even beyond the United States.
Daniel Mauser Memorial Website 