Columbia Station Flower Shops

Columbia Station OH News

Nov 9, 2016

Memorial tree planted for trooper killed in line of duty

Trooper Kenneth Velez. Velez died on Interstate 90 in September after police said he was hit by a car driven by Joshua Gaspar of Columbia Station. Gaspar has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide. From left, Morgan Bosworth, Rachel Kurucz, Michaela Gayheart and Dakoda Perkins, members of Amherst Girl Scout Troop 50410, plant a tree Monday in memory of Trooper Kenneth Velez at the Ohio Highway Patrol’s Elyria post. STEVE MANHEIM / CHRONICLE Enlarge The four girls present for the planting ceremony spoke about how planting the tree was a part of earning their tree badge and how they had selected it from the Holden Arboretum. But the small ceremony was meaningful in a deeper sense for the small troop of eight girls, because a niece of Velez, Brooke Bratovich, was once part of their troop. The girls, who remain friends with Brooke, were saddened to learn she had lost an uncle. They decided that as part of earning their tree badge they wanted to honor Velez with a symbol of life which will grow over time. “It feels good to do this,” said Morgan Bosworth, 12. Fossils of magnolia flowers dating back millions of years have been found and serve as a testament to the plant’s endurance in our world, and now anyone seeking an enduring reminder of a man who spent part of his career at the Elyria post will find it in the tree in front of the building. However, the tree will one day succumb to the force of time, although as with the death of Velez, no one can predict when or how that will occur. But in the meantime the girls of Troop 50410 said they hope as the tree grows and ... (Chronicle Telegram)