St. James Holds Back-To-Back Funerals for Two Friends

Twice on Saturday, held funeral masses for two township 20-year-olds who had been friends since childhood—and who last Monday were together in a fatal car accident on Interstate 287 that took both their lives.

Twice on Saturday, the Rev. Glenn Comandini offered assurances to those who will miss Kevin Lynch Herron and Thomas Ekberg that, someday, they will be reunited with the the ones they love after death.

The church was crowded twice with contemporaries of the two friends, along with their parents, relatives and immediate family members.

Comandini and others that day spoke of the attributes that made each of the friends—although apparently very different—into special individuals who left a mark in their personal relationships and in the community where they lived.

During the eulogy, Joseph Boyle, Herron's uncle, spoke of his nephew's "infectious spark," including the spark in his relationship with others as a son, brother, cousin, nephew and grandson. "He was patient and genuine," he said to an overflow crowd in the church on South Finley Avenue.

Boyle said Herron was "always there" for the the younger siblings in his family of eight children and noted, "He would have been a great father."

Comandini said Herron "lived life fully in Basking Ridge," where he enjoyed his family, sports and music among his interests. Herron also had been involved in humanitarian aid trips to Africa, New Orleans and Tennessee, according to those who remembered him, and

Comandini told the second gathering two hours later that Ekberg, whom he described as a "free spirit" who "cherished his freedom" and had an eye for design, each morning cooked scrambled eggs for his grandmother.

Comandini spoke openly about how Ekberg had to work to conquer his demon of anxiety, but also assured his girlfriend, Nicole, that the young man had "worshipped her." He directly addressed Ekberg's parents, Thomas and Nancy, in telling them that they had been deeply loved by their son, despite difficult moments.

The St. James priest said Eckberg and Herron had known each other while they were classmates at St. James' elementary school. They went on to attend Ridge High School, where Herron went on to become a 2010 graduate. However, Commandini said Ekberg had switched to Shepard High School in Morristown after he had found that Ridge High School was not for him.

"They remained friends throughout high school and...through when they entered mortality on Monday," Comandini said, referring to the accident in Franklin Township in which Herron had been a driver, and Ekberg the passenger, in

Extended family and many friends attended the first mass, along with Herron's immediate family, his parents, Dan and Jane, and his brothers and sisters, Colin, Liam, Frank, Mary, Siobhan, Eoin and Fin.

Ekberg's parents, Thomas and Nancy, and his sister, Erin, also were accompanied by a supportive crowd.

Some friends and neighbors attended both masses.

Lisa Kirkwood, of Basking Ridge, spoke highly of both families, saying she had met them when her own son attended Gentle Shepherd Preschool, and was in the same class with Thomas and Kevin.

"They are wonderful people," she said of both families, saying she felt lucky to have met them after just moving to Basking Ridge.

Many adolescents from the area, and local families, attended Herron's funeral because they had known him or some of his siblings.

Nicole Mullen, a 2005 Ridge graduate, said she is a close friend of one of Kevin's sisters, and she knew how much the family had appreciated support from the church and the community as a whole.

"It's like the whole community came out," her mother, Linda Mullen, said. "I know it meant a lot to them."

At the reception following Ekberg's funeral, Ron Hutchinson, who said he had just turned 20, said he had been part of a trio of friends with both Ekberg and Herron.

He said the friends had spent much time at the Herron and Ekberg households, playing basketball or just hanging out.

"Kevin was a great guy," he said.

Hutchinson also spoke of the times he had spent talking with Ekberg, whom he described as a "very special person" who was sometimes misunderstood.

"I understood him," his friend said. Hutchinson said that the two talked about girls, school and family. He said Ekberg sometimes talked about being adopted, and added that he had told his friend, "Your parents love you."

"Tom was a good kid," Hutchinson said. Herron and Ekberg were different, "like yin-yang," but their friendship made each stronger, he said. He said both had a sense of righteousness, and were the "nicest people."

Comandini urged the mass-goers who attended Ekberg's funeral to "enjoy life."

"None of us know the day or hours when Jesus will call us home," he said.

Herron's mother, Jane, wrote a poem that was printed on the back of the program handed out during his mass:

Today we have to release you, like wind on its way to heaven
And I hear the angels whisper, it's time Kevin
My heart breaks as I see you taking flight
Eternity has called you and I am powerless
A greater love has need of you

I can't argue with God, my words are few
Shine on my son, give out your great light
Laugh with the angels, embrace us from afar
You will live as a constant star