Families say God's healing love carried them through loss

MCMECHEN, W.Va. - In the year since a plane crash on Coney Island changed their lives forever, Jodi Block and Bob Gross say the healing love of God, their faith and support from family and friends has carried them through their overwhelming grief.

Eighteen-year-olds Danielle Marie Block and JoBeth Marie Gross and Danielle's father, 39-year-old Courtney Block, died together in the crash on May 21, 2005, just days before the girls were to graduate from Bishop Donahue High School in McMechen. "God tells you to put it on him - put your burdens on him. And I think you really have to do that," said Jodi Block, who now lives in Moundsville and is a member of St. Francis Xavier Parish. "Faith first and foremost" helped her through this, and "I have wonderful family and friends," she said. "I have a tremendous network here within the school and outside of the school." Gross, who attends St. Paul Evangelical Church in Wheeling, said his faith, his belief in God and "belief that she (JoBeth) is in a better place" is what helped him through this year. "Someday we will all reunite in heaven," he added. "You have to keep believing and keeping your faith strong. It has drawn me closer to knowing how precious life is, how short it can be." Sadly, the loss of JoBeth was not the first tragedy the Gross family has suffered. Bob Gross previously lost his wife to cancer, his sister-in-law to murder, his job because of a permanent disability, the family's home to a flood and most recently his father to cancer as well. Through these trials, he said, JoBeth was a great source of strength. "She was the youngest, but she was the one who held the family together," he said, smiling. "She was the one who always set us straight. She was probably one of the most loving and caring kids. I couldn't have asked for better kids," he told The Catholic Spirit, the official publication of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. "JoBeth stood for what our family is all about," he said. "She was always helping someone. She would put aside her priorities to go help other people." At Bishop Donahue High School, the crash victims have been dubbed the school's three angels and are being remembered through the ideal that was important to them - reaching out to others. Remembrances include blood drives, to give the gift of life; scholarships set up to help others attend Bishop Donahue; and a day of service scheduled for May 20, the first anniversary of the crash. The school's second memorial blood drive was held May 2 at the gym, with Block and Gross in attendance. "The gift of blood is the gift of life," Block said, "and this honors them." Daniel Angalich, principal of Bishop Donahue, said the first memorial blood drive last fall set records in Marshall County for the number of units of blood received. On the anniversary itself, a memorial Mass for JoBeth Gross and Courtney and Danielle Block was scheduled for 8 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier, with participants then asked to join in some form of community service in their memory. One of the sites where participants were to volunteer is the Catholic Neighborhood Center in Wheeling, where Danielle Block and JoBeth Gross volunteered together many times with their fellow students. "It's our first time doing this and we'd like to make it an annual thing that we do on the anniversary to keep their memory alive," Jodi Block said. Their memory also lives on through the Angel Fund Scholarship and the 3 Angels Tennyball Scholarship, which Angalich said has provided $7,500 in financial aid for Bishop Donahue students this year. The Courtney and Danielle Block Memorial Scholarship, established by UPS employees, will be awarded for the 2006-07 school year. After the loss of his daughter, Gross said his son, Bobby, has been his "rock." Now, it is Bobby and the memories of JoBeth and his beloved wife that give him strength. The Gross family is also focusing on the positive and is preparing for a blessing this summer as Bobby's wife, Melissa, is due in August to give birth to a baby boy - who has a very special angel watching over him.

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops