Obituary

Skyler was born on October 3, 1996 in Northampton, Massachusetts. Skyler is and always will be the best son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, friend, student and person that ever was created. Skyler went to preschool in Guilford, Connecticut and Amherst, Massachusetts. Skyler attended Kindergarten through grade 5 at Balliet Elementary School in Springfield, Massachusetts and then attended The MacDuffie School, originally in Springfield Massachusetts, and then moved to Granby, Massachusetts after the campus was devastated by a tornado. Skyler always excelled in school academically, as well as socially. Skyler always was most awesome brother and most beautiful son. Skyler was the best son in the world.

At 17, Skyler was a Junior at The MacDuffie School. Skyler scored strong grades and was an outstanding member of the MacDuffie school community. Skyler participated in sports such as Soccer, Baseball, Cross Country and Ultimate Frisbee, his favorite being Ultimate. Skyler was in the Key Club, Electric Guitar Club the Circus Club (previously), and on Student Council and Judiciary, of which he was voted into by his whole school. Skyler won awards at every Sports Awards night, most recently for Cross Country, earning the Sportsmanship Award. Skyler was in a couple honors classes each year, and worked hard at his studies, spending hours each night, and the weekend, on homework and studying. As Skyler excelled academically and in his school community, Sky enjoyed all of his many friends at school. Skyler loved, loved, loved his friends. Skyler would talk the most about school when I asked him, "What was the funniest thing that happened in school today? Were you funny today Sky?", to which the answer was always yes, and we would laugh and laugh at all the innocent and hilarious activities that had taken place that day....I remember great ping pong match stories, games of hide and seek, funny stories from bus rides to school events, laughter and jokes from walks to Cindy's, walks to the campus pond, rap songs, basketball matches, dance moves and daring physical tricks and challenges in snow banks and off bleachers... and the many stories that came out of Finn's Bin, one of Skyler's favorite places ever. Skyler loved his teachers because he knew they cared about him aside from his academic work, and he appreciated all of the staff members and the whole MacDuffie school community for their kindness in their daily life at school.

Skyler was also musically talented. Sky started playing the piano in Kindergarten and was a talented pianist, as well as drummer, set apart by the fact that he played the latest songs and beats on the radio such as Kanye West, Jay z and Justin Timberlake. Sky also played the harmonica, and was beginning the Electric Guitar the Wednesday night after his accident. Skyler was a pretty great skateboarder and snowboarder/skier as well as a strong swimmer with his Scuba license. Skyler was a great Yo-Yo’er and was talented in Circus activities such as the Diablo and riding a Unicycle. Skyler had his own website for technology product reviews and other websites , as well as over 100 Youtube videos, hundreds of talented photos on Instagram, and a Twitter account with thousands of followers. He has several invention proposals posted on Quirky. Skyler had just gotten his braces off and his own car, and was off to a happy and successful junior year of High School. He earned honorable grades the first quarter and was going to try out for the Basketball team that Monday, November 11th. Skyler was enjoying driving to school and was looking forward to driving his friends as of this January. Skyler had just taken his PSAT’s and scored in the high 80th percentile in all areas. As much as Skyler loved Ultimate Frisbee, he loved technology and Apple products were his preference. Skyler had all Apple products including his iPhone, iPad and MacBook Pro laptop. Skyler was going to go to college in 2 years, with his number 1 choice being Stanford University. Skyler was sure to get a degree in Computer Science and live as an awesomely successful techie in the Silicon Valley in California. We had just started to visit colleges, and had made it to Amherst College, UMass Amherst, and Hampshire College. Skyler visited Yale with his Dad, Todd, and we were planning for Dartmouth College and Harvard this Spring. Many of these colleges offer the top Computer Science degrees Skyler and I were just beginning a Community Service Trip for him to attend this Summer, with GlobalWorks. He wanted to follow after his sister Cassie, who spent 4 weeks participating in this program, building fresh water works in the rain forest, as well as many other community needs in Puerto Rico in 2007. Life was amazing for Skyler and our whole family… It was like we were just sliding into home base and waiting for graduation and college, while we enjoyed every special moment that life brought to us…

I am Skyler’s Mother. My amazing children, Skyler and Cassie have always been a dream come true to me. Our family was a true team, just the best little family ever. I am the Mother of the best son and daughter in the world. At home, we enjoyed our daily lives of school, sports and school events, as well as Celtics and Red Sox games, the beach and family on Cape Cod, the rivers and waterfalls in New Hampshire, and the city life of Museums and Art festivals and visiting Cassie in New York City. We all exercised together, even completing the last 2 Rugged Maniac events, and were so happy…Life continued to get better and better all the time, in every way. Skyler, Cassie and I were all just working really hard, loving life, always planning for the future. Life was so good, and was only going to get better, we all just knew it. Our whole family is amazing with the best Grandparents, Jack and Ellin, and Aunts, Colleen, Susan, Caroline and Cathleen 15 awesome cousins, uncles and so many extended family members. Skyler's Dad Todd, also has a big family that Sky loved very much, all living in California, where they would visit and enjoy special family time together.

When Skyler went to college in California, hopefully Stanford, Cassie and I were going to move out there to be also. We were going to live on the West Coast, around the Bay Area and Skyler in the Silicon Valley, working for Apple or another amazing technology profession. We were sure this was going to happen… It was the next step in our family life…. It was going to happen… Until November 10, 2013, when it all ended with Skyler passing on to Heaven in such an ignorant, senseless, heartbreaking, earth shattering and inexcusable way, as an innocent victim of the horrifying acts of evil…. Life changed forever…There are no words to describe the gift that was taken from us when Sky moved on to his next journey... Life went from being the best to being the worst… Our happy, healthy and successful world was completely shattered forever…Without Skyler, our life will never be the best no matter what... We miss you every second of every day Sky... I think of you every second of every day...Fly high... Be Free.... Be with us when you can....Love is everlasting...Love never dies....We will meet again someday.... Thank you for your gift of life with us here on Earth... Life was better with you Sky...You were a dream come true that should have never ended... We didn't have enough time, but truly, a lifetime with you and our family and friends wouldn't have been long enough... Always love you so so much my beautiful Skyler, always my Angel....