Gone but not forgotten. Christofer Pumfrey’s classmates at The Crossing are making sure of that.
Pumfrey, 15, was a freshman at The Crossing when he was struck and killed by a train at the intersection of Main and Fifth streets in Goshen two weeks ago. While a graveside memorial service was held for Pumfrey, his friends wanted to do more.
Christofer enrolled at The Crossing in September. According to Rob Staley, executive director at The Crossing, like most students, he simply struggled to adapt to the structure of public school.
“I know that by talking to staff that he really struggled in middle school. He just didn’t fit the tradition school environment,” Staley said.
He explained that after Christofer’s death, he talked to Pumfrey’s mother who expressed concerns with affording a full funeral for her son. After contacting a funeral home, a graveside service did take place, which was attended by roughly 150 students along with family.
“We just didn’t feel like there was closure and we wanted to be able to help with that,” Staley said. “So, being the leaders that they are, the kids came up with the idea to have a public service for Chris.”
The staff and students of the Goshen Crossing Education Center, 1202 W Pike St., Goshen, will be holding a memorial service in honor of Pumfrey at the Goshen Crossing campus Monday from 5 to 7 p.m. The community is invited to attend. The program will include an opportunity for students and friends to share memories they have of Christofer, along with a short message by Staley and Steve Reynolds, the Crossing’s Character Development Coordinator. Other highlights include a PowerPoint presentation, which friends of Pumfrey can submit photos for.
Jill Lovely, who was a friend of Pumfrey’s going back to their days in middle school, said that their friendship began when they were in classes together.
“We just really hit it off,” Lovely said. “It’s a shame that my best friend had to die.”
Funding for the funeral is still being raised by The Crossing. Staley said that people have been donating money and more than $500 has been raised to help with funeral costs. Staley said that staff at The Crossing take it upon themselves to help families of their students beyond the classroom.
“We try to take care of the family and the kids so we were honored to help,” Staley said.]]>
