Brandon teen remembered at vigil
By:
Jill Meier, Journal editor
Jill MeierBV Journal
Pastor John Semchenko leads mourners of 14-year-old Noah Kimball in prayer Sunday night at Celebrate Community Church in Brandon. An estimated 200 attended the vigil.
An estimated 200 people attended a vigil at Celebrate Community Church in Brandon Sunday night to reflect in the all-too-short life of Noah “Bubbles” Kimball. The vast majority of attendees were his friends and classmates at Brandon Valley High School, where he was a freshman.
Kimball, 14, died as the result of a rollover accident on Sept. 22 near East Madison Street and Veterans Parkway.
“In times like this, sometimes the best thing is to be there in prayer,” Pastor John Semchenko shared. Following his comments, a series of photos were shared on a big screen as comforting music filled the room as friends and family soaked in Kimball’s young life.
The vigil was planned to be outdoors, but untimely showers moved the time of reflection and sharing into the sanctuary, where mourners came together to pay their respects to the teen who was a friend to many.
Friend and classmate Gavin Klapperich remembered Noah as “a nice and kind person,” who had the ability to “do anything he set his mind to.”
“He was funny and he could make people laugh even when they were sad,” said Klapperich, who was a best friend to Noah since they were in kindergarten. “He was one of the best friends a person can ever ask for. He was the first friend I had at school and we would always hang out after school.”
“Noah knew Jesus,” Semchenko said, recognizing the teen’s 2017 baptism in which he declared his faith in Christ.
He also emphasized that Kimball’s final day on this earth was “a good day,” as shared by his mother, Kerry Hirsch. He had sent a text to his mother expressing his love for her, and had spent time with his dad, Brian Kimball, working under the hood of a truck.
Semchenko encouraged those in attendance to remember “his smile, his love for life and his humor,” and welcomed them to stay as long as needed to talk with others, look at picture boards filled with photos of Kimball and pay respects to the family.
