AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Faculty at Eastridge Elementary School held a candlelight vigil Sunday night to help friends and co-workers cope with the deaths of Laura, Joy and Joshua Geske who were killed in a car wreck Saturday outside of Topeka, Kan.
The Rev. Jeffrey Geske was traveling with his wife Laura, 37, and three children- Joshua, 8, Jacob, 3, and Joy, 3- westbound on I-70 when a Dodge Challenger driven by Steven C. Moore, 62, crossed the grass median going eastbound and hit the Geskes' minivan head-on. Laura, Joshua and Joy were pronounced dead at the scene. The Rev. Geske and Jacob were rushed to the hospital with what was then referred to as serious injuries.
A friend of the Geskes announced Sunday that The Rev. Geske and Jacob had been released from the hospital earlier that day with minor injuries.
The Geskes had just moved to Kansas where The Rev. Geske went on as pastor at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Salina. Before their move to Kansas, the Geskes lived in Amarillo. The Rev. Geske had been the pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church since 2006. Laura was a teacher at Eastridge Elementary.
Along with friends of the family who attended Sunday's vigil were members of both Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church, sister congregations under The Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod. Church members offered their condolences and spoke of the memories they have of the pastor, his wife and children.
"They will be greatly missed," Prince of Peace Member Corinne Thron said. "I know what it's like to lose a spouse, but I can't imagine losing my children."
"We don't understand why, we don't know why," Prince of Peace Member Kim Carry stated. "But we do know that God has a purpose for everything. God will use Jacob and Pastor Geske. Take a look at Jacob in 15 years and see where he is in life."
A trauma team from AISD was present at the vigil to offer help on how to cope with the deaths. Teachers prepared for Monday morning, when they knew they would have to help their students grieve the loss of their teacher.
After references to the Bible upon which many of those present based their faith, and after tears, hugs and prayers, the vigil came to an end. But not before a message from The Rev. Geske was announced by a family friend: The pastor, who had his world ripped from him in the blink of an eye, was praying for everyone in Amarillo.
After the vigil, church members and friends spoke of The Rev. Geske's faith, of how strong it is and of how strong they will be to help him stand back up when he is ready to fall.
