Charlie Schnell

Charlie

he made a thousand hearts laugh

gleeful laughter, a tempestuous sky could not

thunder the same

braving the storm with hopeful eyes and a cheerful smile

he was a light that illuminated the darkest night

a joyous Atlas even with the world on his shoulders

giving away his smile to make the sun rise for others

hopeful eyes

showering a golden light and ringing the bells from inside our hearts

loving as God loves from his place in heaven

we will never forget

- written by a friend

Who Charlie was – and still is for us – can never be captured by mere words or photos.  How do you capture the spirit of a 16-year-old who wanted to change the world, who so much loved the brotherhood that came with being part of a team, who took himself from being a pudgy 12-year-old to an impressively fit football player?  How do you explain what it was like to see him playing with his Star Wars “guys” in his room, to see him being silly with his dog Mudge, to see him lifting weights and trying to best his Dad, to see him becoming such good friends with such a diverse, rambunctious group of boys?  You can’t, but maybe this will give you some idea of our Charlie.