Your Stories

One year ago today we gathered as a community reeling from the tragedy of losing Isaac and four other beloved young people. We were trying to find our way through the grief. Isaac was so loved he brought forth in all of us great love for each other. Love is powerful and Isaac showed us the way.

I think this photo was one of the last birthdays I spent with Isaac before he went to New York. We went to a friends house for a small celebration and it ended up an all night party, that’s how it usually went with Isaac. It was hard to stop having fun when he was around. I’m sure he and Carlo fell

I wanted to share a memory of my friend Isaac with you.  I have known Isaac and his family for going on twenty years. I knew him first as a little guy and then as a quiet and somewhat shy high schooler. I hired him a few times, to housesit, he did license management and wrangling for the team. He w

Wir erinnern uns an den Besuch der ganzen Familie Lepper/Zimmern zu Weihnachten 2016 in Hamburg. Wir trafen uns an der damals recht neu eröffneten Elbphilharmonie und hatten mit beiden Familien einen tollenTag in der Speicherstadt. Isaac und Pearl wollten dann noch nach Prag und etwas Europa begucke

"Can you increase the bass?"Feb 2010, Rooftop

Oh Isaac, how is it that one year has passed since you left this world? The longest and shortest year of my life.  The great learning is that I keep you in my heart forever, close by always. Love you my beautiful son. “Grief and love are sisters, woven together from the beginning. Their kinship

I wish I had more pictures of Isaac, basically all my pictures from high school are gone and can’t be found. I hadn’t minded until now when those pictures mean a hell of a lot more. Or videos too, or even audio recordings. The picture I’m sharing was more recent, from our trip to Newport Beach. St

I remember Isaac as the cool and warmhearted cousin of Friederike's and my boys. They loved to be with him and teach him German and Isaac teaches them English. They played cards and where connected to him. Although we didn't see us very often, there was always a bond between Isaac and our family. He

We invited Isaac to ski with us in winter of 2010. Isaac made it very clear that he would only ski on groomed easy slopes. In ski terms the 'green' ones. That's fine we said, we'll pick some easy ones. He learned fast and on day two he wanted to try something more difficult, the blue ones and on the

Jughandle Creek Farm near Mendocino was the annual meeting place for many Thanksgiving holidays. 2006 was no exception and Isaac loved the football competition in the dunes which pitted kids vs. adults.

On Friday May 31st, 2024 Johann, Anna and I went to Ross Cove to bring Isaac his flowers from the Gathering on March 16th of this year. The messages you left with those flowers went to the Cove with us. We put some of the flowers in the ocean directly and three bushes full on the bluff looking down

Isaac quickly became a part of the Willmer-Shiles family after Pearl and Isaac started dating at the end of their senior year in high school 2014. Pearl had a pack with one of her friends that they would not start dating until after high school but Isaac’s charm and wit broke through to Pearl’s hea

Twenty years ago we had a family reunion in Carmel.  Isaac wrote the following in the guest book:      Upon a tree     You can see Most everything in   the world   Lush green flowers    And the rushing sea    Which sweeps away your   slippery feet   Trees, tr

I consider Isaac family as I am Pearl's Aunt Adisa and I have seen them both grow into two wonderful adults together. I love Isaac's wit, kindness and especially his playfulness when ever we all got together for family events. The pictures below are holidays we shared together from Thanksgiving meal

In 2019, our family traveled to France and Germany to celebrate the 50th birthday of both my sister and her husband. As is common, a local bike ride to the river was supposed to be part of the celebration, except the local bridge was closed for repairs. "No problem," said Uncle Dietrich - let's just