|
|
« Sen. Reed to take questions about the country's future | Today | Update: Bus touting casino plan rolls out / Photo » September 14, 2006Hundreds pay respects at Seekonk Marine's funeral / Photo
The service was heavily attended by representatives from Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, where Valdepeñas was an honors student and all-state lacrosse player. The Hendricken lacrosse team lined the stairway leading into the cathedral as Valdepeñas's flag-draped coffin was brought in by six Marines. It was a formal, somber ceremony. The Rev. Marcel Taillon, the chaplain at Bishop Hendricken, said there were two mottos that Valdepeñas lived his life by. The first was the Marines' motto, Semper Fidelis, which means "always faithful" in Latin. "That embodied Eric's goodness," Taillon told the large crowd inside the church. "He was always faithful to God, and to family and to friends." The second was Hendricken's motto: "Live Jesus in our hearts forever." Valdepeñas's mother told Taillon that her son "lived the prayer," Taillon said. "She said she saw Jesus in his eyes." Valdepeñas, who lived in Seekonk, Mass., was a machine gunner in the the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, weapons company. He was in his sophomore year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst when his reserve unit was sent to Iraq. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples with reports from Journal staff writer Alex Kuffner Posted by Steve Peoples CommentsHarry Manning | September 14, 2006 5:38 PM link Dear Nora & Clayton, Beth & Steve Upham | September 14, 2006 6:22 PM link We feel the lost of your dear son Eric. We pray to God for his eternal rest. We know that in this moment there are no words to calm your family's pain. We pray to God to give you and your family strength and to know that you have an angel in heaven. That where ever he is right now, he will guide your path. Ricardo Bolivar | September 14, 2006 8:37 PM link Eric is a legend...thats all that needs to be said...RIP good buddy Devon | May 10, 2007 1:42 AM link Post a commentPlease be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish. |
|
ADVERTISING |
|
|
|
|
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006
My first close call with death took place in Seekonk 70 years ago. I was with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines in Beirut, Lebanon, 48 years ago and fortunately came home without a scratch to be kidnapped in Massachusetts. Ten years ago I had a heart attack while carrying the 100th Anniversary Olympic Torch in my mother's hometown and subsequently had a quintuple heart bypass operation.
Only God knows why I lived through so much so long and why your outstanding son left us so soon.My kid brother, an Air Force veteran, died of a heart attack at age 29.
May God bless your family in the difficult days ahead and provide you with a beautiful peace that surpasses all human understanding.