Galway Advertiser 2006/2006_06_29/GA_2906_E1_035.pdf 

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June 29 2006

www.galwayadvertiser.ie

N E W S 35

Jamie Stone - an `angel in Heaven' say his friends and teachers
An appreciation
St Patrick's Boys' Primary School was deeply shocked and saddened when we heard during the Easter holidays that Jamie Stone, a pupil in Third Class, had an accident and was critically ill in hospital. For three weeks afterwards, Jamie clung to life and we hoped and prayed that he would recover. Sadly, it was not to be. Jamie went home to God on Saturday 29 April 2006. We remember Jamie as a blue eyed boy with brown hair who loved life and enjoyed school - so much that on occasions he tried to put his pyjamas on over his uniform so he would be quicker at getting out to school in the mornings! He was a model pupil, attentive in class, studious, neat in his work, eager to learn and always willing to help others. He loved pot noodles, the colour green, Star Wars and The Simpsons. Everyone spoke of him as a caring, sensitive, peaceful and happy boy full of kindness, love and affection. Not surprisingly, he was very popular in his class. Generous and considerate, he thought nothing of giving away some of his Yu Gi Oh! cards to classmates who had none or wanted one of his badly. And now they are coming back to him each day, as the boys pass Jamie's framed photograph in the Junior corridor they stop to say a little prayer and stick the cards alongside his photo. When Jamie was five years old he wanted to be a crocodile hunter like Steve Irwin. A year later his ambition was to be a software engineer. Aged nine, he dreamed of becoming a dragonologist or palaeontologist and visiting China to search for fossil remains and to see the Great Wall. Dinosaurs were another pet subject of his. Indeed all aspects of science appealed to Jamie and his teachers used to say to him that his head was in danger of bursting with all the knowledge it contained! He had a brilliant mind, he knew the answers to the hardest questions. He loved swimming, hurling, running, walking and his favourite sport was tae kwon do. He travelled all over Ireland with his family to compete in competitions. He was very good at athletics and in Second Class he represented St Pat's at the city school sports. In his neighbourhood he loved the great outdoors. He used to call for his "buddies" bright and early, sometimes a little too bright and early! Shooting baskets in the basketball net was a particular favourite. Catching bugs to observe and release was another. When Jamie was selected to play "Mary" in the school Nativity play it didn't bother him in the least that Mary was a "girl's" part. He was astute enough to know this was the lead role and joked that it was better than playing a shepherd with a dishtowel around your head! Jamie's classmates describe him as "the kind of guy you would count on to cheer you up when you were down; he was always smiling even when things weren't going his way; he was kind to everyone and rarely had rows with anyone; he was fun to be with". These sentiments poignantly express what a loveable and good natured boy Jamie Stone was. Our school plans to join with the Presentation Secondary School to raise funds to install a memorial glass window in St Joseph's Church for Jamie and other children who die prematurely. Jamie was learning to become an altar server in the church. Next autumn, we will plant a cherry tree in the school grounds in his memory. The death of a nine-year-old child leaves us all shocked and saddened. It seems senseless and without reason. It is heartbreaking for Jamie's parents, Carmel and Steve, his sister Chloe and other family members to lose their precious child. Although we are sad we are also thankful to God that Jamie in his short life brought so much love, joy and happiness. We can be sure that we have a little angel in Heaven watching over us. And if there is a school for dragonologists up there you can be sure that Jamie is top of the class! Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dhilis. -- From Jamie's Third Class, his teachers and friends at St Patrick's Boys' primary school, Lombard Street.

Jamie Stone -- an angel says his friends, teachers, and classmates.

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