Hundreds of mourners, teenagers and adults alike, tearfully walked through a tunnel of white roses held up by the friends and family of Alexander Koehne at the end of his funeral on Tuesday.
Alex, a 15-year-old Pierson High School freshman, died Thursday, March 29, of as-of-yet undetermined causes after falling into a coma. A member of the East Hampton High School football team, Alex wanted to be a football star one day, his friends and family said. Some of his junior varsity teammates served as pallbearers.
“He was a fantastic child who touched so many lives,” said Fran Nill, one of Alex’s aunts. “He is going to be missed.” The eulogies at his funeral, at St. Andrews Roman Catholic Church, described him as a someone who “lived a life of best days.”
“Everyone’s known him since kindergarten,” said Peter Landi, a classmate who is part of the local band Too Busy Being Bored, which is planning to hold a benefit for the Koehne family. “He was such a nice k i d . He was always happy. You could t a l k t o him about whatever.” The church was filled to capacity with relatives, friends and classmates overflowing into its front yard at times. A Monday night wake attracted mourners throughout the day and night.
Alex’s death has rallied the Sag Harbor community in a way few other things have.
A breakfast fund-raiser held for Alex in March raised thousands of dollars and more fund-raisers for the family— his parents, James and Elizabeth, and three sisters, Kaci, Kelly and Katy—are planned. The United in Faith Ministry is asking for donations to help the family deal with medical costs and lost work time.
“It’s been overwhelming, the support has been unbelievable,” said Suzanne Marchisella, another of Alex’s aunts. “Our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone, whether they just said hello or pressed their hands into ours. We’re still trying to handle this.”
Alex fell ill in February and had been in and out of the emergency room for the last month. He was diagnosed with and treated for meningitis, but his physicians later said they believed meningitis was not the cause of his illness. Alex donated his organs to needy patients after his death.
A full obituary will appear in next week’s issue.
on Mar 10, 2009