This weekend was a time for remembering three SOL alums who lost their lives much too soon.
On Saturday, close to 800 runners, joggers and walkers took part in the Team EC/RN 5K Run and Walk at Hatboro-Horsham High School. The event was in memory of 2010 Hatboro graduates Edward Coombs and Robert Nagel, who were tragically killed in an automobile accident on Aug. 6, 2011. Proceeds of the run will go towards scholarships through the Edward Taylor Coombs Foundation.
On Sunday, approximately 400 runners took part in the inaugural Souderton 5 Miler…Miles of Memories, a run held at Souderton Area High School to raise money for the Tracy Hottenstein Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Hottenstein, a 1991 graduate of Souderton, died an untimely death on Feb. 15, 2009.
A beautiful fall day was the perfect backdrop for Saturday’s Inaugural Team EC/RN 5K Run and Walk at Hatboro-Horsham High School
When Jackie DiPietro and Connor Nagel came up with the idea of the walk-run to ensure the memory of Eddie Coombs and Robert Nagel would remain alive, they had no idea what to expect.
“Jackie came up with the original idea and asked me if I wanted to do it,” said Nagel, the younger brother of Robert. “I thought it was a real good idea, and we just started planning. It was a lot of work, but it definitely feels good to have done something (to keep the memory of Nagel and Coombs alive).”
“We just really put all of our time into it,” DiPietro said. “We decided we wanted to do something everyone could participate in, so we had a walk and a run.”
Never in their wildest imagination could they have imagined a day like Saturday.
With 600 preregistered participants and approximately 200 more signing up the day of the event, the turnout exceeded even the wildest expectations of DiPietro and Nagel, who had just two months to plan the event that is their graduation project.
“It’s pretty wild,” said Nagel. “It’s amazing. Hopefully we can keep this going annually.”
“It’s crazy,” said DiPietro. “I am so surprised how many people actually came out. People were registering, and I didn’t even know who they were. The whole community was so supportive. It’s just amazing to see.”
DiPietro was Coombs’ girlfriend of two years.
“It’s still not real,” she said of the accident that claimed his life. “It’s devastating. We’re just trying to get by every single day, move forward every day.”
Planning and organizing Saturday’s event in two short months was no small task for the two Hatboro seniors.
“It was the little things you don’t think of that took the most time – like folding the shirts,” DiPietro said. “We had ordered 800 shirts, and we had to fold all of them.
“We wanted this to be perfect, so we were trying so hard not to miss anything.”
“We had a good amount of friends helping us put all the bags together,” Nagel added. “It was quite a scene – everyone rushing around.”
DiPietro and Nagel recruited more than 50 volunteers to ensure that Saturday’s event ran smoothly.
“I would like to thank the volunteers because these past couple of days have been crunch time, and without them, nothing would have gotten done,” DiPietro said.
Coombs and Nagel were both members of a Hatter lacrosse squad that captured a share of the Continental Conference title in 2010. Coombs, who earned a lacrosse scholarship, went on to play at Marist.
“It’s things like this that get me through it,” said Dave Sowers, the coach of that Hatter squad. “Eddie was our heartbeat. I’ve said that numerous times, and now he’s the heartbeat of our lives, and he’s always here.
“This is what he would want – if you’re going to put your hands to something, do it to the best of your ability.”
On the receiving end of countless hugs and words of support were Eric and Tina Coombs, Eddie’s parents.
“I don’t really think I can put into words what this means,” Tina Coombs said. “It does bring some kind of comfort to see how much your son meant to other people. You think because it’s your son – that’s all that matters, but the letters we’ve gotten and continue to get just talking about the person that he was - the joy is indescribable.
“As my brother-in-law said at the funeral, America needs to stop and take a look at Horsham and how they recognize and honor their own.”
Tina went on to recall a night when she was tucking a seven-year-old Eddie into bed, and he looked up at her – his angel - and said, ‘Mom, did it hurt when they sent you down from heaven?’
“He put his arms around everyone – he didn’t care what your make up was,” said Tina. “He was there for you.”
Coombs’ teammates, according to Tina, still stop by the house regularly,
“We love having them there, and Erin has 10 brothers now,” she said of her daughter.
Next Sunday, a vigil, mass and breakfast in Eddie Coombs’ memory will be held at Marist where Coombs was studying to become a lawyer. He served as a summer intern at the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office.
“Risa Ferman wrote us a letter saying that he would have been the heartbeat of the prosecution office,” Eric Coombs said. “She said the same passion he brought to sports he brought to the office.
“My son was a very unique individual. He made everyone in the room feel they were special. We received so many letters from sixth grade on from classmates saying how he made them feel special. It’s incredible the impact he had in 19 years.”
Proceeds of Saturday’s event will benefit the Edward Taylor Coombs Foundation.
“We’re trying to build this up so we can give scholarships to two kids each year, and in five years we can look up and say that the foundation put 10 kids through college,” Eric Coombs said. “The goal of this foundation is to keep his name and his spirit alive.”
Just as Saturday’s event ensured that the memory of Coombs and Nagel would remain alive.
Jill Emerick Martin was hoping 100 runners would participate in Sunday’s first annual Souderton 5 Miler, a run in memory of her lifelong friend and former classmate Tracy Hottenstein. Instead, over 400 runners took part in the event to honor the 1991 Souderton grad on a beautiful fall Sunday.
“I’m amazed,” Martin said as she surveyed the large crowd in attendance. “When we started planning this, I thought if we had over 100 that would exceed my expectations. Then a hundred (registrations) came, and I thought, ‘Okay, let’s get 125.’ Then it was, ‘Wow, we’re at 200.’
“I’m overwhelmed - I don’t even have words to describe it, but it’s wonderful to remember Tracy in such a positive manner.”
Martin – along with Souderton alums Jennifer Joseph and Corey Sell Clemmer – began planning the event last October, and she admits preparing for the run has been part of the healing process since Hottenstein’s passing.
“It’s an avenue to put your energy towards, and it’s something to keep her memory alive in a positive light,” Martin said.
During her high school years, Hottenstein was captain of the lacrosse team, captain of the cheerleading squad, the 1991 Homecoming Queen and a strong academic student, but that is not what her classmates and friends remember most.
“I remember her as being the most kind-hearted, open-minded, generous person I have ever known,” Emerick said.
The Tracy Hottenstein Scholarship Fund – which was created in 2009 – is presented annually to a Souderton graduate who is a high achiever in science, active in sports and able to demonstrate financial need to be able to further her education.
Anna Vo, a sophomore at the University of the Sciences, was the first recipient of the scholarship.
“It was so special,” she said. “I felt so honored to have the Hottensteins stand up on the stage and call my name. 
They had flowers for me. It was such an amazing feeling, and they are such amazing people.”
The former student council president also was captain of her tennis team and a part of the Link Crew. As a junior, Vo organized a fashion show that that raised more than $2,000 for Laurel House.
At Sunday’s event, it was Vo who stood by Betty Hottenstein, Tracy’s mother, at the finish line, applauding runners and instructing them where to report.
“We couldn’t have picked anyone better,” Betty Hottenstein said of Vo, who has maintained contact with the family. “We made a wonderful friend.”
“I cancelled all my plans today,” Vo said. “I have a (tennis) match today, and I’m like, ‘I’m not going to my match.’ There’s an AIDS walk in Philly, and I usually like to do walks, but Tracy’s walk – so much better, so I came home to do that.”
It has been a long and painful journey for the Hottenstein family, but Sunday’s event was a comfort to everyone who knew and loved Tracy.
“It’s a great tribute to Tracy,” Betty Hottenstein said. “It’s a very hard day for Charlie and me. We can’t bring Tracy back, but it’s great to see that people cared, and she made an impression on the people, and she was who we thought she was. She contributed a lot to a lot of people.”
Tracy’s father, Charles Hottenstein, along with her brothers and their families participated in Sunday’s run/walk/kids’ run.
“It’s a good thing/bad thing,” Charles said. “Like I told the girl that I was running with out there – I’d rather not be running and Tracy would be with us, but since she’s not with us, this is a good alternative, and it’s for a good purpose. The turnout was just tremendous.”
Some of the proceeds of Sunday’s run will also be donated to the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society. Tracy held a special place in her heart for that organization after the passing of one of her high school teachers, Bonnie Sell, and ran in the San Diego Marathon to raise money for the Society.
According to Emerick, that’s the kind of person Tracy was.
“And this is exactly the kind of day she would have wanted,” Emerick said.
Photos provided by Carrie Haydt:
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