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23rd Birthday Tribute
This tribute can be found in today's (March 20, 2009) Sentinel and Enterprise on Page 7.
In Loving Memory of
Brian Belanger, Jr.
Mar. 20, 1986 ~ Oct. 3, 2005
As each day dawns
and starts a new,
as each day ends
we think of you
and in between
No matter where
in our hearts
you're always there
Wishing you a Happy 23rd Birthday in Heaven Jr.
We love and miss you,
Dad, Mom, Lisa and Crystal
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Woman's efforts deserve support
Woman's efforts deserve support
Editorial / Opinion Sentinel & Enterprise
Sentinel & Enterprise
Article Launched:04/04/2007 11:10:26 AM EDT
It would have been totally understandable if Lisa LaDue decided to do nothing but grieve privately after her brother, Brian "B" Belanger Jr., died at the age of 19 on Oct. 3, 2005, following a crash near the corner of Main and Day streets in Leominster.
But instead LaDue has become an outspoken advocate calling for young drivers to slow down and drive more carefully so as not make another family go through what she and her family have endured.
LaDue's comments were featured prominently in the Sentinel & Enterprise's special public-service report, "Speed Kills," which focused on the deadly consequences of teenage speeding and reckless driving.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving helped LaDue's family after her brother died in the alcohol-related car crash in 2005.
Now, LaDue wants to raise money to help MADD spread their message that young people need to buckle up, drive safely and stay sober when they're behind the wheel.
"If I can help one person, it's worth it," she said about her efforts.
LaDue's brother died when a car driven by Derek Ricker, 22, of Leominster, crashed. Police say Ricker, who was a childhood friend of Belanger, was speeding and drunk at the time of the wreck.
A judge sentenced Ricker to serve one year in the Worcester County House of Correction.
MADD contacted LaDue's family and had a representative go to all the court dates with them, LaDue said.
The support helped Belanger's loved ones deal with the tragedy, LaDue said.
So now LaDue is organizing a benefit for MADD to be held Saturday, April 21, at the Leominster Lodge of Elks from 7-11 p.m.
Tickets cost $15, and there will be food, dancing and raffles. All the proceeds will go to MADD.
People who want to attend will have to buy tickets ahead of time.
To buy tickets and find out about donating and getting involved, e-mail LaDue at benefit4b@yahoo.com.
LaDue is also organizing a team for MADD's "Strides for Change" walk in Boston on Sunday, June 3, at 10:30 a.m.
We urge people interested in making the roads safer to help LaDue in her efforts.
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Sister of drunk-driving victim raising money for MADD
Lisa LaDue holds a photograph of her cousin, James Bond, and deceased brother, Brian Belanger, in Leominster, Monday. (SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / SARAH BRITAIN )
LEOMINSTER -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving helped Lisa LaDue's family after her brother died in an alcohol-related car crash in 2005.
Now, LaDue wants to raise money to help MADD spread their message that young people need to buckle up, drive safely and stay sober when they're behind the wheel.
"It's preventable," LaDue said.
LaDue's brother, Brian "B" Belanger Jr., died at the age of 19 on Oct. 3, 2005, following a crash near the corner of Main and Day streets in Leominster.
Belanger would have turned 21 this week.
A judge sentenced the driver of the car Belanger was riding in, Derek Ricker, to serve one year in the Worcester County House of Correction.
Ricker and Belanger were friends since childhood, according to LaDue.
MADD contacted LaDue's family and had a representative go to all the court dates with them, LaDue said.
The support helped Belanger's loved ones deal with the tragedy, LaDue said.
LaDue is organizing a benefit for Saturday, April 21, at the Leominster Lodge of Elks from 7-11 p.m. Tickets cost $15, and there will be food, dancing and raffles. All the proceeds will go to MADD.
People who want to attend will have to buy tickets ahead of time.
To buy tickets and find out about donating and getting involved, e-mail LaDue at benefit4b@yahoo.com.
LaDue is also organizing a team for MADD's "Strides for Change" walk in Boston on Sunday, June 3, at 10:30 a.m.
She urges anyone who wants to join or donate to contact her.
LaDue has been outspoken about how young people need to drive responsibly.
"If I can help one person, it's worth it," she said.
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Victim's sister: 'Slow down' teens
By J.J. Huggins
Sentinel & Enterprise
Article Launched:02/11/2007 10:44:02 AM EST
Lisa LaDue's teenage brother died more than a year ago in a car wreck, and she has advice for kids getting behind the wheel in light of the recent devastating crashes in this area.
"Slow down," said the 26-year-old, whose brother, Brian 'B' Belanger Jr., died in an accident near the corner of Main and Day streets in Leominster on Oct. 3, 2005.
The man who drove the car Belanger was riding in, Derek Ricker, survived and later pleaded guilty to motor vehicle homicide by operating under the influence and is serving a one-year jail sentence, according to court documents.
Police said Ricker drove drunk and did at least 72 mph in a 30 mph zone.
Belanger's family has been left to carry on without their son and brother.
He leaves behind LaDue, her daughter, Selena, 9; his father, Brian; his mother, Donna; another sister, Crystal, 23, and her twin three-year-old sons, Kameron and Tylar.
The children are now growing up without their adoring uncle around and LaDue said her daughter had looked forward to being taken to a dance by him.
LaDue wants people to drive carefully, so they won't kill themselves or somebody else -- and so another family won't have to go through what her family experienced.
"I just want them to think about what will happen to their families and to the people that know them," she said. "Because most teenagers are self-absorbed."
The pain of losing her brother never goes away, she said.
"You live with it every day. The constant what-ifs, the constant sadness," she said.
She even catches herself picking up the phone to call her brother occasionally, only to remember he's gone.
Belanger would be turning 21 next month if he was still alive, LaDue said.
Car accidents repeatedly in the news
Seventeen-year-old Leominster High School senior Rebecca Richard lost control of a Jeep Grand Cherokee and struck Brandon Martinez, 15, who was walking home from school last Monday, killing Martinez.
A witness told police Richard was speeding and trying to pass a car in front of her near the rear entrance to the school, according to Tim Connolly, a spokesman for Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.
Eighteen-year-old Jennifer Hackney of Shirley crashed on Tuesday night in Fitchburg, according to police.
Rescue crews had to airlift one of the victims in Hackney's car, Adam Richards, 19, of Fitchburg, to UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester.
"Every time I read one of these stories, it just breaks my heart," LaDue said. "I know another family is going to go through what we went through."
Young people still drive recklessly, despite the potentially fatal consequences, LaDue said.
"They think it won't happen to them," she said. "We all think that when we're a teenager -- that nothing is going to happen to us."
LaDue said she thinks there are more teens on the road now, compared to when she was in high school.
"Parents work, they don't want to cart their kids around," she said.
The state's Junior Operator's law forbids drivers under the age of 18 from having their underage friends in the car for the first six months they have their licenses, but it doesn't seem effective, LaDue said.
"Obviously, that's not working because they're still driving with people in their cars, still speeding," she said.
Richard had a teenage girl with her in her Jeep at the time of Monday's crash, according to Connolly.
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Victim's Sister Tries to Find Answers
By J.J. Huggins
Sentinel & Enterprise
Article Launched:11/30/2006 10:57:42 AM EST
Lisa LaDue recently talks about her brother,
Brian Belanger, who died in October 2005.
(SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / SARAH BRITAIN)
Lisa LaDue thinks a fitting punishment for someone who gets drunk and hurts someone in a wreck is to force them to volunteer in an emergency room.
That way they could see firsthand the pain and suffering they cause, said LaDue, 26.
LaDue and her family saw her little brother, Brian 'B' Belanger Jr.'s devastating injuries after a crash on Oct. 3, 2005.
The driver of the car, Derek Ricker, 22, of 29 Penn St., Leominster, Belanger'sfriend, was speeding and had been drinking at the time of the wreck.
"It was really hard to see him when we got there because it didn't look like him," LaDue said as she fought back tears during an interview. "And that's the last image I have of him. It's something that my family has to live with. That's sometimes what I see when I go to bed."
The wreck occurred near the corner of Main and Day streets in Leominster.
The entire passenger side of Ricker's BMW, where Belanger, 19, sat, was "completely totaled," LaDue said.
Ricker pleaded guilty in October to motor vehicle homicide by operating under the influence and is serving a one-year jail sentence, according to court documents.
He will spend two years on probation after his release from jail, according to court documents.
But he never had to survey Belanger's injuries after rescue crews whisked them away from the crash scene.
"That night at the hospital, Derek wasn't there. He couldn't see my brother," LaDue said. "He (Ricker) had a scratch on his face and his arm. That's it."
It might be easier to deal with her younger brother's death if the person who caused it was a stranger.
But LaDue knows Ricker well because he and Belanger grew up together.
"You want someone to be mad at, but you know him because you grew up with him," LaDue said. "I used to baby-sit him when I was younger. I have a lot of mixed feelings. I don't know if I'm mad. I know it was an accident, but he still made that choice to drive."
Nothing they could do
LaDue's father, Brian Belanger Sr., called her around midnight on the night of the crash to tell her what happened.
She and other family members rushed to the hospital. LaDue thought her brother would somehow make it.
"The doctors came in and told us there was nothing they could do. His pulmonary artery was twisted, so we sat with him until he passed away," LaDue said. "I kept telling myself, 'Oh no, he'll be fine.' But it didn't happen that way."
Belanger also suffered severe head injuries, broken ribs and two broken arms, his sister said.
He and Ricker were hanging out at a friend's house prior to the wreck.
They had both been drinking and got into Ricker's car to go to the store, according to LaDue.
LaDue said her parents always told her and her siblings that if they were at a party and had too much to drink, they could call and their parents would pick them up without getting angry.
LaDue is mad at her brother for getting in the car with Ricker.
"Kids, when they're young, think nothing's going to happen to them," she said.
Belanger, a Leominster resident, spent a lot of time with his family.
"I can't even put it into words. It has been awful. It doesn't get any easier," LaDue said about losing her brother. "People say it gets better with time, but it doesn't."
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Man Pleads Guilty in 05 Wreck Case
Sentinel & Enterprise
by Jonathan Graham
October 24, 2006
LEOMINSTER -- Lisa LaDue, 26, said it is a bittersweet feeling knowing her little brother's best friend will spend the next year in jail for his role in her brother's death.
"We've known him since he was really young," LaDue said outside her parents Hamilton Street home Monday.
But, she said Derek Ricker's one-year sentence "kind of was what my parents were looking for."
Derek Ricker, 22, pleaded guilty Thursday to motor vehicle homicide by operating under the influence, as well as speeding and a marked lanes violation, according to court documents at Fitchburg District Court.
Police say Ricker was speeding and drunk when he crashed his car off Day Street on Oct. 3, 2005.
The wreck killed LaDue's brother, Brian Belanger Jr., 19, of Leominster, who was a passenger in the vehicle.
Ricker suffered only minor injuries.
District Court Judge Patrick A. Fox sentenced Ricker to two years at the Worcester County House of Correction, with one year to serve.
The balance of the sentence is suspended, and Ricker will serve two years probation after his release in October, 2007.
LaDue said she did not get a chance to speak to Ricker, who has remained close with the Belangers, after he pleaded guilty.
"I just would have given him a hug," LaDue said.
LaDue said the end of the criminal case against Ricker did not give the family as much closure as they had hoped.
"We were all hoping that it was going to ... but none of us feel any better," LaDue said.
LaDue said the family didn't want to see Ricker go to jail, but they also wanted him to accept responsibility for his actions.
LaDue said the family is just glad the case did not go to trial, where they would have been subjected to all of the accident's details.
"I think we prefer (the plea agreement) then going through a trial," LaDue said.
Police said "the minimum speed of impact" when Ricker crashed on Day Street was 72 miles an hour. The speed limit is 30 miles an hour.
Ricker told an officer he drank "at least five beers" before driving, Sgt. Michael Goldman wrote in a police report.
Ricker will also have to remain drug and alcohol free, submit himself to random testing, serve 100 hours of community service, and will lose his driving license for 10 years.
"Community service is to be done in part at high schools speaking about drinking and driving," Fox wrote in court documents. "Also, community service is to be done at a hospital or facility where patients have suffered injury from automobile accidents."
A woman who answered the door at Ricker's home address declined to comment Monday.
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Memorial Service
This article was featured in the Sentinel and Enterprise on October 4, 2006.
Friends, family remember teen
By J.J. Huggins
Brian Belanger Sr. hugs his two daughters, Crystal Belanger and Lisa LaDue, as friends and family gather at Evergreen Cemetery in Leominster for the memorial service in honor of Brian Jr., Tuesday. (SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / JONATHAN PHILLIPS)
LEOMINSTER -- Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of the car accident that claimed the life of 19-year-old Brian "B" Belanger Jr., and about 50 people gathered at his grave to honor him.
"He's truly missed every day," his mother Donna said while speaking to a reporter at the memorial at Evergreen Cemetery. "He's the first thing I think about in the morning, and the last thing I think about at night."
"It's just tough," added Belanger's father, Brian Sr. "We've had a lot of supporters though."
Belanger's funeral last year drew a crowd numbering in the hundreds. A slew of friends and family attended a candle-light vigil on the one-month anniversary of his death, as well as a gathering on what would have been his 20th birthday on March 20, according to his parents.
"He's always had a lot of friends," his father said.
Tuesday's memorial began shortly after 6 p.m. The crowd remained near the burial site well after sundown, even after a light rain began to fall.
Belanger died as the result of a single-car accident near the corner of Main Street and Day Street on Oct. 3, 2005.
Derek Ricker drove the car, a BMW, and Belanger was a passenger, according to police.
Ricker and Belanger were close friends since childhood, according to Belanger's eldest sister, Lisa LaDue, 26.
Police allege "the minimum speed at impact" was 72 miles per hour. The speed limit there is 30 miles per hour, according to police.
Ricker admitted to an officer that he drank "at least five beers" before getting behind the wheel, according to a report written by Sgt. Michael Goldman.
Police have charged Ricker, 22, of 29 Penn St., with motor vehicle homicide. He is scheduled to go to trial on Oct. 19.
A solemn Ricker attended Tuesday's memorial. He hugged Belanger's parents and greeted several others in the crowd when he arrived.
Ricker declined to comment to a reporter.
Ashleigh Brady, 19, of Fitchburg, went out with Belanger for four years. They were not dating at the time of the crash, but she said will never forget him.
"I just want to tell him, I miss you very much. I love you with all my heart, and you're still here with me," she said.
One of Belanger's two sisters, Crystal, 22, said, "I love him very much. I miss him."
His 9-year-old-cousin, Angela Gallien, was one of several young children in attendance.
"Thank you Brian, for always keeping us in your heart. Love you always, Angela," the youngster said during an interview.
Her father, 35-year-old Chris Gallien, said "there isn't a day that goes by" that he doesn't think of Belanger.
Chris Gallien's brother, Keith, said that while the men were Belanger's older cousins, they were like uncles to him.
"I just miss the kid. I miss his smile," Keith Gallien said. "It was a tragedy. It shouldn't have happened."
"I'm really glad all these people came out -- all his friends," Keith Gallien continued. "Loyalty, you know."
Some of Belanger's friends took photographs of his heart-shaped headstone, which has a picture of his face engraved on it.
Flowers, stuffed animals, a wreath with a "B" in the middle of it, and a balloon saying "You'll be missed" were placed around the grave.
Several of the attendees wore white T-shirts with Belanger's picture on the front, and "'B'RIAN FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS" printed on the back.
Father Gerald Dorais of the St. Francis of Assisi parish in Fitchburg led the memorial with several prayers.
"Give our brother Brian peaceful rest," he said.
Rebecca Fontaine, a family friend, spoke after the priest.
She brought white balloons with Belanger's family members' names written on them.
The balloons were released into the air, and Fontaine told the crowd to think "about anything Brian did or said to make you smile."
Some people in the crowd lit candles after it got dark.
One of Belanger's friends, Sebastian Jimenez, 23, of Leominster remembered Belanger as "a good person to be around."
"He was a person who made you smile, just with the jokes, always with a smile, never sad," Jimenez said.
Jonathan MacLeod, 22, of Leominster, called him "just a good kid."
Miguel LaPasta, 26, of Fitchburg, said Belanger always found time to help his friends.
"You just can't describe how he was. No matter what, if you needed his help, he was always going to be there," LaPasta said.
Belanger attended both Leominster High School and Fitchburg High School, but never graduated, according to LaDue, his sister.
He had planned to get his GED, according to LaDue.
LaDue initially declined to comment at the memorial, but then sent an e-mail to a reporter later Tuesday night.
"I think of him every day," she wrote in the e-mail. "I miss him everyday. I wish he was still here everyday. Nothing is the same without him. He is always in my heart and my thoughts."
Belanger's friends and family remember him as a hard and generous worker.
Sylvain Ramsay, a longtime family friend, said Belanger used to plow his driveway.
"I knew him since he was in Pampers. He was a nice kid, I'm going to miss him," Ramsay said. "Kind of broke my heart when I found out (about his death)."
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Slipped Away - Avril Lavigne
"Slipped Away"
Na na, na na na, na na
I miss you, miss you so bad
I don't forget you, oh it's so sad
I hope you can hear me
I remember it clearly
The day you slipped away
Was the day I found it won't be the same
Ooooh
Na na na na na na na
I didn't get around to kiss you
Goodbye on the hand
I wish that I could see you again
I know that I can't
Oooooh
I hope you can hear me cause I remember it clearly
The day you slipped away
Was the day I found it won't be the same
Ooooh
I had my wake up
Won't you wake up
I keep asking why
And I can't take it
It wasn't fake
It happened, you passed by
Now you are gone, now you are gone
There you go, there you go
Somewhere I can't bring you back
Now you are gone, now you are gone
There you go, there you go,
Somewhere your not coming back
The day you slipped away
Was the day i found it won't be the same noo..
The day you slipped away
Was the day that i found it won't be the same oooh...
Na na, na na na, na na
I miss you
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Forever Mourning by Mike Demers
Many say that your up there in heaven,
looking after the crew,
forever reppin',
you know how we do,
just because your gone-dont mean we change the rules,
i just dont see the crew making future moves without you,
Day by day passes-all I do is think about you,
wishing I could one day see what you'd amount to,
I miss you dawg,
life is much too hard,
im blinded,
my life revolves around the dark,
I guess I just lost that spark that once given me light,
Givin' me hope and bright days as I live my life,
Now lifes empty,
Death's startin to really temp me,
been chillen wit' the crew alot-sippen on that "henny",
damn kid-I wish you were wit' me,
or I was with you,
cause when your born-god gives you the ability to be tight with few,
and you was a true soldier,
its been way more than a privledge to know ya,
its been part of my life,
im mourning till i join you every night,
forever holdin' you down until the end of my life,
i picture you in heaven-"rollin L's"-rollin them dice,
forever feelin nice-livin' like a "G" in iced out paradice,,,,livin' our dreams.
Thank you Mike. I love you lil' bro :)
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"B's Song"
Shortly after we lost you, this song started playing. Every time Mom hears it she yells that "B's song" is on. So, I just wanted to post it here for you. I know you would have LOVED it knowing it was a country song! :) ha ha ha! We all love and miss you so much B. Watch over us and keep us safe. Stay close!!
"Who You'd Be Today"
by Kenny Chesney
Sunny days seem to hurt the most.
I wear the pain like a heavy coat.
I feel you everywhere I go.
I see your smile, I see your face,
I hear you laughin' in the rain.
I still can't believe you're gone.
It ain't fair: you died too young,
Like the story that had just begun,
But death tore the pages all away.
God knows how I miss you,
All the hell I've been through,
Just knowin' no-one could take your place.
An' sometimes I wonder,
Who'd you be today?
Would you see the world? Would you chase your dreams?
Settle down with a family,
I wonder what would you name your babies?
Some days the sky's so blue,
I feel like I can talk to you,
An' I know it might sound crazy.
It ain't fair: you died too young,
Like the story that had just begun,
But death tore the pages all away.
God knows how I miss you,
All the hell I've been through,
Just knowin' no-one could take your place.
An' sometimes I wonder,
Who you'd be today?
Today, today, today.
Today, today, today.
Sunny days seem to hurt the most.
I wear the pain like a heavy coat.
The only thing that gives me hope,
Is I know I'll see you again some day.
Some day, some day, some day.
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Not a day goes by
Not a day goes by that I don't think of you
Not a day goes by that I don't wish you were still here
Not a day goes by that I don't see your face
Not a day goes by that I don't miss your bright smile
Not a day goes by that I don't wish you could chat for a while
Not a day goes by that I don't cry
Not a day goes by that I wish you didn't have to die
Not a day goes by that I don't ask myself why
Not a day goes by that I don't hear your voice
Not a day goes by that I don't wish we had another day even knowing that you could not stay
Not a day goes by that I forget about you
I'll never forget B. I love you
More than words,
Lee
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B's Obituary
Brian "B" Belanger, Jr., 19
Was head tire technician; enjoyed his family
LEOMINSTER -- Brian "B" Belanger, Jr., 19, of 301 Hamilton St., died Monday Oct. 3, in UMASS Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
He was born on March 20, 1986, in Leominster, the son of Brian and Donna (Duell) Belanger. Brian worked as the head tire technician at Tire Warehouse in Clinton. He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, four wheeling, dirt biking, listening to music and working on cars with his father.
Besides his parents, Brian and Donna (Duell) Belanger of Leominster, Brian leaves two sisters, Lisa M. (Belanger) LaDue of Gardner and Crystal A. Belanger of Leominster, his paternal grandparents, Robert and Linda (Davis) Kohlstrom of Leominster, a niece, Selena Belanger, two nephews Kameron and Tylar Catabia; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
LEOMINSTER - On Oct. 3, Brian "B" Belanger, Jr., 19 of Leominster. A funeral service will be held on Oct. 8, at 11 a.m. in Brandon Funeral Home, 305 Wanoosnoc Road, Fitchburg. Calling hours are Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetary.
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My Eulogy to my Little Brother
I'd like to thank you, on behalf of the Belanger family, for coming here today to remember and celebrate the life of my brother, Brian. I am delivering the eulogy for my little brother and I speak today as his big sister.
B was the youngest of three children and the only boy. He had to grow up with two older sisters, a task he never took lightly. Naturally, growing up, he was a bit of a handful. He did the normal things that all boys do. He would ride his bike and come in with bumps and scraps, but he would never complain.
Growing up with B was never dull. He always kept everyone on his or her toes; after all he was the only boy. I remember when we were younger my sister & I would always use him as our scapegoat. Whenever we did something that we knew we shouldn’t have done, we would tell our parents “Jr did it” and naturally they believed us.
For as long as I can remember, he was always taking things apart and putting them together again. I remember one year, my parents bought him a bike that he had been asking for. When my father came home one night, he had the bike in pieces. He was so smart and he managed to get the bike back together with only a few “extra pieces”.
My brother was a wonderful person. He could light up any room he walked into simply by smiling. He had the biggest smile I have ever seen. He always knew how to cheer you up by making you laugh. He could be the biggest goofball on the planet if he knew it would make you smile.
I remember one summer when my family went camping and it was pouring rain and the winds were so strong that the tent we were sleeping in blew over! Thankfully, our grandparents were camping in their trailer a few campsites away. So, in the middle of the night, there we were running down the road with our blankets and pillows in hand to my grandparents’ trailer. When we finally got there my sister, who was running so fast, slipped on the wet grass and slid right underneath the steps to my grandmother’s trailer! My brother and I could not stop laughing at her! I remember we teased her for days after that. It was one of the only times growing up that he was teasing instead of being teased.
In his short life, B got to experience so much. He was smart, funny, adventurous, and just a unique and fun person to be around. Although he was young he got to experience the joy of love when he met Ashleigh. He would always tell me that even though he didn’t always show it, that he loved her very much. I’m very grateful that he met her and had the opportunity to love someone with his whole heart. Love is a funny thing and teaches us many of life’s lessons.
Although B never got to have children of his own, he was blessed to have had a niece and two nephews who he loved with all of his heart. There was nothing that he wouldn’t do to protect them and make sure that they were happy. My daughter was lucky enough to spend time with him right before the accident. She came home and was so excited that Uncle B gave her free frosty coupons and $5 for no reason! I’m so glad that she has that last memory of her Uncle to carry with her.
Kameron & Tylar were a whole different ball game after all they were boys. B always talked about how he was going to teach them to play ball and they had just started “beating him up”. Whenever he would walk into the room you would hear them scream “B”! They were always so excited to see their Uncle B because they knew that he was coming home to play with them. They will always be his little buddies.
Both of my parents would want to tell you how much they love my brother too, but it is too painful for them to get up and speak right now. We will miss you forever and our hearts will never be whole. We know that you are watching over us and that you will never truly be gone. Until the day we meet again, in our hearts is where we’ll keep you.
I love you B!
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Afterglow
This is the poem that we picked out to have put on the back of B's prayer cards:
Afterglow
I'd like the memory of me
to be a happy one.
I'd like to leave an after glow
of smiles when life is done.
I'd like to leave an echo
whispering softly down the ways,
Of happy times and laughing times
and bright and sunny days.
I'd like the tears of those who grieve,
to dry before the sun
of happy memories
that I leave when life is done
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Poem read by Amy Fischer
We do not need a special day
To bring you to our minds.
The days we do not think of you
Are very hard to find.
Each morning when we awake,
We know that you are gone
And no one knows the heartache
As we try to carry on.
Our heart aches with sadness
And secret tears still flow.
What it means to lose you
No one will ever know.
Our thoughts are always with you,
Your place no one can fill.
In life we loved you dearly,
In death we love you still.
There will always be a heartache,
And often a silent tear,
But always a precious memory
Of the days when you were here.
If tears could make a staircase,
And heartache make a lane,
We'd walk a path to heaven
And bring you home again.
We hold you close to our hearts,
And there you will remain,
To walk with us throughout our lives
Until we meet again.
Our family chain is broken now,
And nothing seems the same
But as God calls us one by one,
The chain will link again.
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Driver Charged in Connection with Fatal Crash
Driver charged in connection with fatal crash
By J.J. Huggins
Sentinel & Enterprise
LEOMINSTER -- Police have charged a 21-year-old city man with motor vehicle homicide after he crashed the car he was driving into several trees, killing his best friend.
Police say Derek Ricker of 29 Penn St., was drunk and driving 72-miles-per-hour in a 30 mile-per-hour zone at the time of the Oct. 3 wreck on Day Street, according to Police Lt. Mark Swaine.
Ricker was driving a 1997 BMW M3 at the time of the early-morning wreck.
Ricker's best friend, Brian Belanger, 19, 301 Hamilton St., died shortly after the wreck.
Ricker answered the door at his home Tuesday afternoon, and said he is sorry about the fatal crash.
"That was my best friend that I grew up with," he said.
Ricker declined to discuss the charges against him, saying he has hired attorney Michael McEvilly of Leominster to defend him.
Police are also charging him with speeding and a marked-lanes violation.
Swaine said Ricker crossed over the double yellow lines on the street before the impact.
Rescue crews rushed both men to the hospital after the crash.
Ricker suffered only minor injuries, according to police.
Swaine said medical staff at HealthAlliance Hospital/Leominster determined Ricker's blood alcohol level was more than the legal limit.
"Blood was drawn that day," Swaine said. "We have the ability to determine (he was intoxicated) because of the results of tests that were taken that day. We think that is indeed what it will show."
Police have not released the test results, but Swaine said prosecutors will be able to seek access to them in court.
Ricker is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges at Leominster District Court on Oct. 24.
An accident re-construction team measured the skid marks at the scene, the weight of the car, and a variety of other factors to determine the speed, Swaine said.
A woman at Belanger's home said the victim's family would not comment on the case.
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Speeding into Danger
Speeding into danger
Editorial / Opinion
Sentinel & Enterprise
Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella calls the corner of Main Street and Day Street a "rolling right."
Cars headed toward the intersection can easily zoom around the corner's rounded curve and onto Day Street without slowing down.
A few yards away from the turn, a single-car crash killed 19-year-old Brian Belanger Jr., and injured Derek Ricker, 21, early Monday morning.
Police said speed played a role in the accident, and they have not ruled out that alcohol was involved.
To his credit, Mazzarella said this week the corner will be "squared off," to ensure cars turning onto Day Street have to stop before making the turn.
The problem with the mayor's plan is that it's not happening immediately. The restructuring would take place within the next construction season, according to the mayor.
Day Street has seen several traffic mitigation measures in the past decade.
Crews installed speed humps four or five years ago by the back entrance to the Johnny Appleseed School, but took them out at the request of neighbors, after inconvenienced drivers honked their horns and shouted at residents.
A radar sign, which shows motorists their speed, sits by the uprooted trees of the accident scene along with "Please drive slowly. We love our children," signs.
The road is posted at 25 miles-per-hour, but on Tuesday afternoon the radar sign at times showed speeds hitting 41 to 45 miles-per-hour.
"Police do a good job enforcing, but they can't be out there all the time," Mazzarella said.
Mazzarella said the one obstacle will be redesigning the corner without touching a historic marker that sits by the convenience store on the corner
Ward 1 City Councilor David Rowlands said he hears the same speeding complaints on all the side streets that branch off of Route 13.
"It's all the roads they use as cut-throughs," he said.
The city councilor said while squaring off the intersection would slow down drivers off of Main Street, it wouldn't help the entire street.
"After a certain distance, they'll be speeding again," he said. "This would slow it down at the beginning. ... I don't know what else would really work except enforcement. We would have to spend an enormous amount on putting police out there."
Rowlands could be right.
City officials should act as soon as possible to make the change on Day Street, but also to add more police patrols throughout the city, because too many people are using Leominster's roads as a racetrack.
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Speed Believed to be Factor in Fatal Crash
October 04. 2005 7:30AM
Speed believed to be factor in fatal crash
19-year-old Leominster man killed when car hits tree
By Mike Elfland TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
melfland@telegram.com
LEOMINSTER— Investigators said speed appears to have played a role in a one-car crash early yesterday that claimed the life of a 19-year-old Leominster man.
Brian Belanger Jr. was pronounced dead several hours after a car in which he was riding slammed into a tree in the area of 27 Day St., according to police. The other occupant of the 1997 BMW, Derek Ricker, 21, escaped serious injury in the crash, which occurred shortly after midnight, police said.
Police are stopping short of identifying the driver of the car, saying that determination awaits lab results. But relatives of Mr. Belanger, many of whom gathered at the crash scene early yesterday, said Mr. Ricker was behind the wheel.
Police said the BMW belongs to Mr. Ricker.
The crash occurred about 100 yards from Main Street on a section of Day Street that residents say has long had a problem with speeders. Cars heading north on Main Street can veer onto Day Street without losing much speed.
Yesterday morning, an uprooted tree, a torn-up front lawn and broken car parts were telling signs of a serious accident.
“There’s evidence that speed was a factor,” police Lt. B. Mark Swaine said of the ongoing investigation, which involves the state police accident reconstruction unit.
The lieutenant said alcohol also may have been a factor in the accident.
If Mr. Ricker is proven to have been the driver, he could be charged in the crash, Lt. Swaine said.
Mr. Belanger was initially taken to UMass Memorial — HealthAlliance Leominster Campus and then by emergency helicopter to UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus, Worcester, where he was pronounced dead about 4 a.m., according to police and relatives.
Brian Belanger lived with his parents at 301 Hamilton St. and worked at the Tire Warehouse in Clinton.
“He was always smiling and he loved to crack jokes,” Sandra MacDonald, Mr. Belanger’s cousin, recalled yesterday.
“He was a good kid, a hard-working kid,” said Robert Kohlstrom, his grandfather.
Mr. Ricker, of 29 Penn St., was treated at UMass Memorial — HealthAlliance Leominster Campus for what police said were minor injuries.
A Day Street resident who rushed to the scene moments after he heard the screeching of tires said the car came to rest upright, just off the road and facing in the opposite direction from which it came. The neighbor, who asked that his name not be used, said one person was out of the car when he arrived and another person, later identified as Mr. Belanger, was in the back seat, apparently thrown there during impact.
The neighbor said he tried to comfort Mr. Belanger.
“There’s nothing I could do,” the neighbor said.
More than two dozen friends and relatives of Mr. Belanger converged on the accident scene yesterday morning. Some put flowers on the uprooted tree. Ms. MacDonald, his cousin, led a prayer.
“He was a hard worker, and you don’t find many young kids with that work ethic,” Ms. MacDonald said in an interview. She recalled watching Brian Belanger and her son Jimmy grow up together, almost like brothers.
“He’s going to be dearly, dearly missed,” she said.
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Leominster Man Dies in Crash
October 03. 2005 2:29PM
Leominster man dies in crash
UPDATED | 2:30 P.M.
By Mike Elfland
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
melfland@telegram.com
LEOMINSTER— State Police are investigating a one-car crash early today that claimed the life of a 19-year-old Leominster man.
The victim, identified by police as Brian Belanger Jr., of 301 Hamilton Street, was pronounced dead several hours after the crash, which occurred shortly after midnight at Main and Day streets. Mr. Belanger had been taken by emergency helicopter to UMass Memorial Medical Center - University Campus, Worcester.
Mr. Belanger was one of two people in a 1997 BMW that slammed into a tree in the area of 27 Day Street, police said. The car had just turned onto Day Street from Main Street when the crash occured.
The second occupant of the car, identified by police as Derek Ricker, 21, was not seriously injured, police said.
State and city police are involved in the ongoing investigation. Police said they have not officially determined who was behind the wheel at the time of the crash. At the scene this morning, friends and relatives of Mr. Belanger said Mr. Ricker was driving.
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