Funeral Mass Wednesday morning for Timothy Killian
July 9, 2012 in Uncategorized By: Dave Emerson
(7/9/12, Los Alamitos) Sadly, a fine young man known by many in Los Alamitos was tragically taken from us by a traffic accident on Lampson in Garden Grove near midnight on the 4th of July.
Timothy Killian was a product of St. Hedwig School and earned his Eagle in local Boy Scout Troop 642 in 2009. He was studying culinary arts at Cal Poly Pomona.
I had the privilege of knowing Tim through Troop 642 where I served as an Assistant Scoutmaster. He personified so much of the Scout Law: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Cheerful. . . .
As the dozens of comments on Tim’s Facebook page attest, Tim will be missed by many, many friends:
- You were one of the most naturally positive people I have ever met.
- You will always be my favorite.
- I will never forget your contagious laugh Tim. You will never be forgotten because of the many lives you have touched in scouting and the O.A. alone, as well as mine.
- Of the fondest memories I have from our time at SHS was of Timothy’s compassion, kindness, but most of all, acceptance of others, a trait we don’t see very often these days.
- You were a smart student and good friend for all of us.
- Heaven just gained a big-hearted and joyful angel. Timothy Killian, pray for us!
- I’ll always remember you as the guy who was always smiling.
- I remember how sweet and genuine he was.
- Thank you for showing me that there are truly amazing people in the world who want nothing more than to make the world a better place by being a better person
Service Information:
Visitation (and “celebration of Tim’s life”):
5 – 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 10, 2012 at All Souls Mortuary,4400 Cherry in Long Beach (562 424-8601) . Rosary at 6:30.
Funeral Mass & Burial:
The following information is taken from Tim’s Facebook page:
Funeral Mass for Timothy Joshua Andrew Killian will be held on Wednesday at 8:30 AM at St. Hedwig Catholic Church, 11482 Los Alamitos Blvd, Los Alamitos, CA 90720 Phone (562) 296-9000.
Please park next door at Good Shephard Church, as parking will be limited due to Bible Camp. (Left into Good Shepherd after the second stop light south of Katella)
A burial will follow at All Souls Cemetary in Long Beach, 4400 Cherry (562 424-8601) (Maps will be provided)
The reception, starting around noon, will follow the burial, at the house of Mrs Root.
Scouts, please come in uniform. All others please come dressed in a light hearted outfit to celebrate his life.
Tim’s brother, Paul, asks those of us who knew Tim to help spread the word:
If you knew Tim, or he touched your life, please join us in remembering him. We invite you to join his friends and family at each of these events.
Please help get this infomation out to anyone who knew Tim.
You can post a link to this post on your facebook page, twitter, or e-mail the link using the “save/share” button below.
Tim’s Tributes pages provide an opportunities to read or leave memories, stories, or photos as well as to get directions to the services or even set a reminder for the anniversary of Tim’s passing.
so incredibly sad. sincere condolences to his grieving family and friends.
I think your article has a great message, but some of the comments I have read from other readers has left me inclined to leave this important message about anyone who makes assumptions about what might lead someone to crash their car before knowing the actual facts.
From what I have heard, this young man, although 21 years old, was not a partier, so people should not assume that it was alcohol related. He seemed very mature for his age and worked hard to be an Eagle Scout I believe.
Nobody knows what caused his car to lose control..whether it was from speeding, or someone trying to run him off the road, or distracted driving etc. Don’t assume just because he is 21 that he was texting or reaching for his phone or being an irresponsible driver until all the facts come out.
I hope they do an autopsy to determine how he died. I am wondering if he had a medical emergency of some sort which caused him to crash, esp. due to the level of speed he was going and rubber marks left behind. It’s almost as if he was driving at full speed all the way until he crashed while also breaking hard at the same time.
It could have been speed related and his brakes locked up while he tried to regain control, causing him to crash but let’s see what the autopsy reveals before any readers pass judgment, and anyone who leaves comments should be empathetic for the sake of his family and loved ones who are mourning their loss.
You’re right, Jean. I sure don’t know what caused Tim’s tragic accident. At this point I doubt that anybody knows.
We may never know. As for an autopsy, that’s really up to the authorities and the family. I don’t know if it would change anything. It sure won’t bring Timothy back.
What we do know is that Tim was a responsible young man with many admirable traits.
We don’t know if the cause of the accident was medical, mechanical, human error, or if the big guy with the big heart was simply swerving to avoid an animal.
One of many lessons from Tim’s sudden departure is, if it could happen to Tim Killian, it could happen to any of us.
Just another reminder of the serious responsibility of getting behind the wheel.
And of never taking a friend, or tomorrow, for granted.
After this morning’s packed-out mass and tribute to Timothy Killian I spoke briefly with Timothy’s eulogist, who had seen Tim just ten minutes before the accident.
He actually went with a traffic/accident specialist to the site, where they inspected the skid marks, which indicated the car slid sideways into the electric pole.
When asked “What would you do to make a car slide sideways like that?” the expert promptly replied “Slam on the brakes and turn the wheel sharply.”
The logical conclusion, especially on the 4th of July when many pets escape in panic, is that Tim saw an animal suddenly dart in front of his car and instinctively hit the brakes and swerved.
As someone who was privileged to know Timothy, that makes a lot of sense to me, and I suspect it will to others as well.
Hopefully I’ll be able to get up more on the service with some photos later today or tomorrow.