Clockwise from top left, Ana Marquez Greene, Benjamin Wheeler, Jesse Lewis, Josephine Gay, Daniel Barden, Dylan Hockley, Catherine Hubbard and Noah Pozner.
It was one of those “Where were you when?” moments. When you found out that 26 people, including 20 first-graders — first-graders! — had been gunned down inside a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school. It’s hard to imagine what life has been like for the families of those who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. And it’s equally hard to imagine what life has been like for the families of the more than 11,000 others — including some 700 children and teens, like Hadiya Pendleton, who have died by gun violence — since then.
But some of the Newtown families have, in recent months, opened up about who their loved ones were, and what their forever grief looks and feels like. In honor of the one-year anniversary of the massacre, we at Modern Loss wanted to share with you some of their poignant words, as told to People magazine earlier this year.
Jackie and Mark Barden, parents of Daniel Barden, 7:
Veronique and Lenny Pozner, parents of Noah Pozner, 6:
Jen and Matt Hubbard, parents of Catherine Hubbard, 6:
Scarlett Lewis, mother of Jesse Lewis, 6:
Nicole and Ian Hockley, parents of Dylan Hockley, 6:
Michelle and Bob Gay, parents of Josephine Gay, 7:
