Photo(s) of the Week: Clouds

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Distant storm in Ames, Iowa

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In Memoriam: John Robert Tomlin

From aColumbineSite:

Born September 1, 1982

16 years old

John Tomlin was a sophomore at Columbine when he was killed in the library. A native of Wisconsin, his family moved to Littleton in 1995 when his father, John Michael, got a job there with a heating firm. John found the move difficult at first. He was shy and lonely. But he soon made friends with Jacob Youngblood and Brandon Sokol, both of whom later spoke at his funeral.

John attended the Foothills Bible Church and belonged to the Riverside Baptist Church South youth group where he met his girlfriend of seven months, Michelle Oetter. His sister Ashley said the pair were nearly inseperable.

"He treated me like the queen of the world," Michelle said of John.

He loved church and Chevrolet trucks. He had 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 Rocky Mountains. He once drove all the way to Mexico to help build a house for a poor family. He enjoyed four-wheeling in his truck and lifting weights.

He was gentle and kind. Family and friends remember his energy and the warmth of his smile. "He had such a sense of humor. He was always making goofy faces," his mother said.

He worked after school and on weekends at Arapahoe Acres Nursery hauling trees and driving tractors 30 hours a week. According to friends, he always wore the same thing to work: Carpenter pants, mud-caked boots, a blue cap, and a jacket featuring his favorite team, the Green Bay Packers. He planned to join the army when he graduated.

His truck, like Rachel Scott's car, became a standing memorial in the parking lot. Thursday following the shootings, his family gathered around the truck despite the fact that it was raining. His bible was still sitting on the dashboard, where he always left it in the hope that someone would see something there that would bring them closer to God. His grandfather, John Francis, his father, and other family members took turns sitting in the truck.

"He was as close to a perfect son as you could get," his father, John Michael Tomlin, said. "He was just good. You'd ask him to wash a car, and he'd wash both cars."

John spent his lunch hour in the library every day, studying. He was there when the gunmen stormed the school. Hiding under a table, he welcomed a girl he didn't know (victim Nicole Nowlen) into his hiding place when she grew scared where she was hiding. He held her hand to comfort her when the killers started shooting people in the library. When he heard Dylan Klebold harassing Valeen Schnurr after she'd been shot, John confronted the gunman. Eric Harris opened fire on John and Nicole, injuring them both with blasts from his shotgun. Then Klebold came around the table and shot John at point-blank range in the head, killing him almost instantly.

The first of the funerals for the victims killed at Columbine, his was held at Foothills Bible Church where he had attended church. He was buried in his hometown of Waterford, Wisconsin, in Saint Peters Cemetery. He was buried in a satin-lined coffin of green and gold, the colors of his favorite team, embroidered with Chevy trucks.

In Memoriam: Steven Robert Curnow

From aColumbineSite:

Born August 28, 1984

14 years old

Steve Curnow was a freshman at Columbine who dreamed of being a Navy top gun pilot and was very close with his mom Susan and father Robert (Bob) despite the fact that they were divorced. Weeks before the shooting, he told his father that he forgave him for the mistakes made that led to the breakup. Steve loved soccer. When he discovered his soccer skills weren't strong enough to make the team at Columbine, he continued to referee part-time and play on the team dad Bob coached, the Colorado Rush. Steve liked the color green, because it was the color of the field.

His favorite classes were Spanish, technology, and gym because he got to play sports. He dreamed of becoming an aviator after discovering the joy of flight during a family vacation to England.

Remembered as a huge fan of the Star Wars series, he watched the films so many times, he could recite the dialogue along with the actors. Science fiction fans nationwide put together a "Go to Star Wars" memorial day in his honor when Star Wars I: the Phantom Menace premiered in theaters May 19th, 1999. He had been anxiously awaiting its release.

Steve was hiding under one of the small computer tables in the library, near surviving victim Kacey Ruegsegger, when the shooting began. Eric Harris shot Steve in neck with a sawed-off shotgun. Steve died in the library. At 14 years old, he was the youngest victim of the Columbine massacre.

His funeral was held at Trinity Christian Center, the fourth funeral of a Columbine victim held there in five days. Members of his soccer team were among the mourners at his funeral. "Every time we'd play, he'd have a huge smile on his face," Justin Norman said at the funeral, a former teammate who was among a dozen friends who offered eulogies for Steve.

His sister Nancy said at the funeral that she was going to miss fighting with Steve over whose turn it was to take out the garbage, and whose turn it was to use the computer. She wondered who would tell stories to her own children about what she was like growing up. She'd been counting on her little brother for that.

His mom wrote a note to Steve that was read at his funeral: "Thank you for that special moment two weeks ago when you said, 'Mom, I bet there aren't many guys who can discuss things with their moms like we do.'"

Steve was buried in Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.

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