Hundreds Gather to Mourn Jeremy Crowder

At least 400 people attended the funeral at Sunset View Cemetery Wednesday for Jeremy Crowder, the 17-year-old El Cerrito High senior who was fatally struck by a train.

Friends and family packed the chapel and hallway of Sunset View Cemetery in El Cerrito Wednesday afternoon to mourn Jeremy Crowder, an El Cerrito High School senior whose life was cut short when he was hit and killed by a train. "To see so many of you here today means so much to Jeremy's family," said pastor Larry Patterson during the eulogy. "I would love for Jeremy to see the lives he affected that are here today." Attendance was estimated at 400 or more by the Sunset View staff. A sizable number sat in an overflow room. The funeral was freighted with extra tragic resonance, since a gathering of virtually equal size came to Sunset View the day before for the funeral of 18-year-old Tyler De Martini, a former El Cerrito High student who …

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Large Funeral Gathering for Tyler De Martini

The funeral today, Tuesday, for Tyler De Martini, the former El Cerrito High student fatally injured by a car while skateboarding on Marin Avenue, drew an estimated 400 people to Sunset View Cemetery.

It was standing room only, with many friends and loved ones spilling into hallways and an overflow room at Sunset View chapel today, Tuesday, to remember Tyler De Martini.  The 18-year-old Berkeley resident who attended El Cerrito High School as a freshman, sophomore and junior died last week after a car struck him as he skateboarded along Marin Avenue at Tulare Avenue. De Martini's funeral Tuesday morning drew an estimated 400-plus people. Afterward, he was buried in a private ceremony for family at St. Joseph Cemetery in San Pablo. De Martini has family roots in El Cerrito – his grandfather and father owned the well-known Mel-O-Dee lounge in El Cerrito Plaza for many years. Best friend Jordan Riker, in his eulogy, reflected on meeting De…

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Charles Burress

3:12 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Thank you for the correction. Yes, it did begin at 1 p.m. We apologize to anyone who was late because of it. (We got the 2 p.m. time from the high school's weekly bulletin. The school later sent out a correction that we unfortunately didn't see. We obviously should have double-checked.)   more ›

El Cerrito High Student Killed By Train Identified

The El Cerrito High School senior struck and killed by a train in Richmond early Sunday has been identified as Jeremy Crowder, 17, of Richmond, an honor-roll student and member of the football team.

The El Cerrito High School student struck and killed by a train in Richmond about 3 a.m. Sunday was 17-year-old Jeremy Crowder of Richmond, the Contra Costa County Coroner's office said today, Tuesday. He was struck by a Union Pacific freight train about a half mile west of Cutting Boulevard, the coroner's office said. The office said it could not comment on why he might have been on the tracks. The deceased student was a senior who was on the honor roll at the school, said Marin Trujillo, a spokeman for the West Contra Costa Unified School District. He was also a 5-foot, 9-inch tall linebacker on the school football team, according to MaxPreps.com. His death came as shock to the school. Friends posted a video in his memory on YouTube …

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John Stashik

12:29 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Prayers to the Union Pacific RR conductor and engineer, too. They're helpless when someone is on the tracks in front of a train. The conductor then has to look for body parts and that's an unfortunate part of the job. Hopefully, both crew members got relieved at the scene and can try and put this incident behind them.   more ›

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