'He's just a great kid'
Aaron Eilerts, 14, had endless talents, a good sense of humor and would go above and beyond whatever was asked of him.
"He was the kindest kid you could ever meet," said Dawn Sievertsen, principal of Robert Blue Middle School in Eagle Grove, Iowa. "He embodied everything scouting stands for." Aaron recently was runner-up for a character award out of about 40 nominees throughout Iowa.
Ben Petrzilka, 14, who just finished seventh grade at Mary Our Queen Catholic School in Omaha, was praised as kind and caring. "He always gave it his best effort," Principal Kayleen Wallace said.
He loved the outdoors, spending a lot of time hunting and fishing with his father. He had reached Star rank and was assistant leader of the Ninja Patrol of Troop 448.
Josh Fennen, 13, of Omaha, was confident, inquisitive and had natural leadership abilities.
"He was a good student, a hard worker, and he was always trying to be creative," said Jeff Alfrey, principal at Andersen Elementary School.
Josh didn't stand out physically. The dark-haired, brown-eyed boy was of average height and build for an eighth grader, Alfrey said. But his inquisitive nature separated him from other students. "His mind was always working," Alfrey said. "He was always finding something new to do, something to experiment with."
Sam Thomsen, 13, of Omaha, loved the Scouts, loved the Nebraska Cornhuskers and was enthusiastic about life.
Sam's Facebook page lists his interests as Jesus, football, the Huskers, playing Xbox video games and the Roadrunners, a basketball team for home-schooled children. "Go, Roadrunners," it says.
"He's just a great kid," said Jim White, pastor of Southwest Church of Christ, where the Thomsen family are longtime members. "He was a typical teenager, always has a smile on his face. He was just a joy to be around."
His parents, Larry and Sharon, home schooled Sam and his older sisters, Sara and Lindsay.
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
