You were the first to call me uncle tom. I'll never forget that. I only had the pleasure to know you for 5 years but your personality and humor was enough to fill a lifetime. You gave me the honor of being your confirmation sponsor and for that I deeply thank you. I grew to love you immediately, as I did all my nephews and neices. I saw you grow into an outgoing, bright, energetic and funny young man, who never let a moment go by without bringing some kind of smile to my face.
I'm not going to ask--why? I don't even think I really want to know. I just want you to know how much you touched my life, and how much I came to love you in such a short while. I will miss not having the chance to go golfing or play paintball with you again.
I will never say good-bye, just "later" for now.
Rest in peace, Eric. I hope you found what you were looking for.

Love,
Uncle Tom

P.S. To all Erics friends. Remember him as you knew him, always. You were the biggest part of his recent life and he wouldn't want you to mourn him. He, as you know, was a vibrant and lively person and he lives on in you. So, as you grow older and time eases your pain, keep the good times in your mind and relay the funny stories whenever they should come up.
Thank you all for your kind words. We know how many people's lives he touched.
And if anyone has anything the want or need to talk about, feel free to e-mail me back.

I bought a cd today and theres a song on it that goes almost perfectly with this situation...pay no attention to the date in the song...or how it happened...its by a band called Senses Fail, the song is called "Steven"...but i just changed steven to eric. it goes like this:

Good Bye
November 10th, a cold dark night
You could feel that something wasnt right
That night many hearts did cry
When we learned we had to say goodbye

All embraced under one common song
The body is dead but life lives on

Good-bye Eric Good-bye you friend You were so young You were so young
Good-bye Eric Good-bye you friend You were so young

The cars lined the streets, as it was coming to an end
The sun shined brightly the day we buried our friend

All embraced under one common song
The body is dead but life lives on

Good-bye Eric Good-bye you friend You were so young You were so young
Good-bye Eric Good-bye you friend You were so young

Losing in the fass, Lost innocence came down
An 18-year old was buried in the ground
A Family's broken hearts, A friends streaming tears
The light lost in death, The livings growing fears
Of eternal darkness or is it spriritual light
To come to terms with death on the darkest night

A brother lost a brother, A friend lost a friend, A mother lost a son but Eric's soul will never end

(You were so you)
(Good-bye)
A brother lost a brother, A friend lost a friend, A mother lost a son but Eric's soul will never end...

I heard this song today and it brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throught. I barely new Eric but form everything that has been happening i realized what an impact that he had on everyone even the people that didnt get a chance to know what a wonderful kid Eric was...ill leave by saying that you will always be missed.

steve

Verse
God saw you there,
wanting to take away,
the pain that you’ve been feeling,
the pain that wont go away,
he sat down beside you,
wishing he could help,
he wanted to heal your pain,
not knowing what you’ve felt,
he tried to make you better,
time to heal your wounds,
he never knew that,
you’re now lying in your tomb

chorus
One more cry,
and I’ll help you through,
one last time for me,
hopefully it’s not for you,
I wish I can save you,
and god be our savior,
I have been thankful,
for the times we had before

Verse
God saw me watching you,
wanting me to say,
“help you’re friend out”,
he wont make it through the day,
he just wants someone to listen,
someone to hear his plea,
he wants to tell you something,
instead he’s gonna flee,
he is now in heaven,
because of what no ones done,
you’re now in a safe haven,
and life’s only just begun

Another one
verse
I hope you’re resting now,
with a smile upon your face,
you were a great friend,
and I cant leave it at that,
Only if I had one last time,
to talk to you about life,
But I cant anymore,
because it’s all gone now,
I wish I knew what was wrong,
and I cant figure out how,
how everything is gone in 1 second

chorus
I will remember you,
even when 1,000 days go by,
I will remember our laughs,
all the times we spent together,
but it had to drift away,
goodbye for now,
I’ll see you in the end

verse
I hope you’re smiling now,
with the same smile upon your face,
I’m curious to know,
when we’ll meet again,
how long is it gonna take?
We’ll still be friends,
I remember the last time,
that I was able to see you,
we talked about life and whats new,
I wish you would have told me what was wrong,
so I could help you,

chorus
I will remember you,
even when 1,000 days go by,
I will remember our laughs,
all the times we spent together,
but it had to drift away,
goodbye my friend,
I’ll see you in the end

And Another one
verse
I think I’ve seen the grave,
I’m looking down to wave,
but to no response,
I want to shake your hand,
but you’re laying in the land,
and I wont prevail this time,
I want you to know,
when there’s no place to go,
I’ll be there in time,
You could always say now,
what you’ve wanted to say all along,
and if I can just say one thing,
why are you gone?

chorus
I don’t know where to go,
I don’t know where to hide,
I want to throw it all away,
along with my pride,
I know I’ll see you one more time,
one last time for the memories

verse
don’t make it hard now,
I can still hear your voice,
all along now,
I guess we don’t have a choice,
and it’s hard to get through the day,
when I can see the tears in your eyes,
it makes everyone wonder why?
Will I see your face again,
the pictures arent what I planned,
to feel our friendship once again,
don’t go now,
I cant figure out how,
you can gracefully take a bow

and another one
verse
Lying in your room,
with nothing to do,
and the posters are hanging on the wall,
you’re playing the guitar,
what you loved to do,
waiting for someone to call,
I’ve been calling your name,
in so many different ways,
wanting to catch your fall,
I want you to know that,
now is the perfect time for,
you’re happiest times of all,
I want him to know,
that he could have grown,
into someone after all

verse
I’ll be waiting till the end,
to talk to my friend,
who thought he’d end it all,
I’ve got a message to send,
and hopefully my friend,
will receive it all,
goodbye to my friend,
he thought it was the end,
so he did end it all,
don’t you see now,
that all of us are there,
so I can lose it all

A Student At East,

YOU NEVER WALK ALONE
You never walk alone my friend
Though you may think you do,
For in your sorrow and despair
I always walk with you.

There is no hour, no passing day
I am not by your side,
And though unseen, I am still there
To be your friend and guide.

Whenever you think you walk alone
Reach out and you will find,
The hand of God and mine to show the way
And bring you peace of mind.

R.I.P Eric Graf...You are very much missed by everyone.

I didn't even know you,
but it still amde me sad,
to see pople morne over this loss,
and feel soo bad.
I was walking past your memorial,
and anyone could see,
how much people cared for you,
and couldn't understand how this could be.
Everyone misses you so much,
and wish you would have found a way,
to get help for what was bothering you
and solve it in a better way.
You've touched so many people,
and eventhough u didnt' know me,
i know you were a great person,
that everyone couldn't wait to see.
I wish there was a way,
that we could change what hurt you,
and show you how much you meant,
and how many people love you.

Just thinking about it gives me chills. I have not been able to concentrate. My mind as been all over the place. Every moment this past week has been like a twilight zone, everything in slow motion, just a feeling of numbness. Like the world stopped once you left. There are moments now, that I will be thinking of something off topic, and then, like a fire-cracker going off- There is something that reminds me of you. And like a broken record the tears start coming and can't stop. Images of you playing like a movie in my head.

I keep asking myself- Why would you do this-but I figured that Why doesn't really matter right now. You did what you did, I'm only sorry that I wasn't quick enough, or a good enough friend to see what kind of pain you were really going through. But no matter how much pain you suffered, there was never a time you left my side without a smile on my face- So, as you wish, I'm smiling, I'm smiling up at God, his angels, and most of all you. I bet his angels are jealous of you. You are probably spending a lot of quality time with the big man upstairs, and making him laugh, and cracking jokes--and secretly I think you have always had wings like an angel, you just hid them because you were brought to us for a reason-- to make everyone realize just how lucky we are and that we should always count our blessing, and cherish each moment we have with our loved ones.

Well hon, I'm so happy for you now- I know you're in the place where you feel all of our love. I have learned a very crucial lesson in life- and that is life isn't fair. But I'm sure you had some divine intervention through all of this- because you have not only broughten friends together, you have not only broughten the senior class together, but you have broughten a whole school together. With this gift you have given a unity all of us will remember.-

Till my time has come when I am needed up there with you and God, I'll wait, and live life to the fullest, not only for me, but for you- I'll see when I see- Till then- I send all of my love, and all of my heart to you to keep you company during your journey --

~~~~~~

where do I go from
Here 'cause

Without you I'm not okay
And without you
I've lost my way
My heart's stuck
In second place ooh
Without you

I’ve been reading all of your messages, your memories, your pain….and because of you, I’m getting to know him better, what his life was like and what wonderful friends he had. I’m not as young as you in age, but in spirit I am. I graduated from LW in 1983, so I guess I could be your mom. I have my own daughter, Sarah (she’s one of 10 of Eric’s cousins) she is a freshman at East. It’s been so hard for her and all of our family. Over the past 5 years, our family has lost 4 people, Eric’s uncle, great-grandmother, his grandfather and now our Eric. We know your pain and grief, we really do, and you might be asking, how could we go on after all this loss? Well, we reach down inside of ourselves and draw on our love and strength in each other and those around us. We support each other.

If I could say something to ease your pain, I would. The comfort, believe it or not, comes from each of you individually. Think of a day or a time you spent with Eric and how he made you feel, now take a deep breath and smile. Each of you can smile and embrace each other in love, and celebrate your lives together as a group of caring and compassion friends that you are. Eric is not gone. You’ve all been so lucky to know him and each of you has him in your heart, that is his Gift to you. I know it’s hard being at school with all the memories, it’s hard for me too being at work. But please, draw from that inner strength that you have. You are all so courageous, brave and wonderful young people. You are about to start a new path of your life, a wonderful experience, whatever you decide to do.

I’ve been reading what all of you have written. I understand the idea about prom king. This is your senior prom, and it is a celebration. Just like they said at the funeral, life is a celebration, and your prom is a celebration. I think we can agree that we will never forget. My thought was that you could remember and celebrate at the same time. A plain orange ribbon pinned to your corsages. Maybe at some point during the dance, join hands making one big circle symbolizing your love and embracing your friendships. I hope you all have the “Time of your Life.” Make Graduation a Celebration!!

RIP ERIC

i seriously would have never of guessed this. this came as a big shock to me. do u see how many people have wrote notes. poeple loved having u around because u were a hilarious person. now not having u around anymore is goin to be weird. everyday u could notice him from down the hallways with his big curly red hair, couldnt miss him. U, me, keat, gorny,tyson, stets,everyone man the list can go on for days had many good times and im sure no one is goin to forget those times. remember the time when u threw a bottle rocket at me and it went in my shirt and burned the sh4t out of it. i still have that and thats the many memories u gave us. dam graf i wish u would have said something to someone. i cant let u go nor will i ever. the best impression was with graf on jay and silent bob were he sings the who smokes the blunts we smoke the blunts . ya that one im goin to miss that one. god must have some big plans for u man if he took u away from us. graf ur mustang will live on forever ill make sure of it. this really suxs man im never gonna see u again until im gone. i hope everyone out there knows that life doesnt sux u can make it work out, no more
make sure u go to the memorial during class periods. im goin to miss u deeply i wont forget. i love ya graf

All I can think about is those few days that we were shooting the commercial for "Silent Snore" and having you, Eric, laying next to me on the "bed" (the table haha) and all you could do was laugh and smile. You would pretend to spray the "Silent Snore" and then get this funny look on your face! Somewhere Mrs. Deedy has that tape and little did I know that my co-star was not going to make it to complete high school. Now I wouldnt be embarassed to watch the commercial like I was last year.

I know that everyone asks you to say Hi for someone or hug them for us now that you can be with our loved ones in Heaven....well Im one of those people. Er, I need you to give my Grampa a hug and tell him I love him...you'll know him....hes the great story teller!

Until next time Eric, Rest In Peace and continue to watch over all of your friends, family, and everyone at LWE cuz God knows we all need it at this time.

for those of you mourning, i hope you make it through strong without losing the memories.

i found a quote, i thought it was pretty appropriate for what a lot of you seem to have going on.

For some life lasts a short while, but the memories it holds last forever.
-Laura Swenson

i wish the best for the Graf family & friends.

DAMN TODAY IS A TUESDAY. I SAW BLAKE TODAY IN PAINTING CLASS (YES WE ARE IN PAINTING CLASS)HAHA DONT MAKE FUN OF US MAN!!!!!!! BUT ANYWAYS HE LOOKED SO SAD AND IT MADE ME THAT MUCH MORE UPSET.
ITS SO WEIRD BECAUSE ALTHOUGH YOU NEVER REALLY HUNG OUT WITH MY CROWD I STILL CONSIDER MYSELF ONE OF BOYS FROM THE GROUP IF THAT IS COOL WITH THEM. BUT STILL REGARDLESS IF YOU DIDNT HANG OUT
WITH MY FRIENDS IN PARTICULAR I ALWAYS LOOKED FORWARD TO DOING STUPID STUFF AND LAUGHING ABOUT IT WHEN I GOT THE CHANCE TO HANG OUT WITH TYSON MURPH SHAWN DONKLE HENNIGER FOOTE DYBAS YOU
KNOW YOUR GROUP(SORRY IF I LEFT ANYONE OUT BUT THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY PEOPLE I WOULD WANT TO HANG OUT WITH TO LIST) ANYWAYS I THINK MY POINT IS THAT YOU SHOULD SEE THEM MAN. I NEVER COULD OF
THOUGHT I COULD SEE SHAWN HAHA IN A SAD MOOD. NO OFFENSE MAN !!! BUT WE ALL ARE THE ENTIRE SCHOOOL OF EAST MUST OF BEEN AT THE WAKE THAT I WAS AT. BEFORE I WAS LEAVING I FELT LIKE I WANTED TO SAY
GOODBYE AND GET THE PHONENUMBERS OF EVERY SINGLE KID THERE BECAUSE THEY ALL LOOKED SO SAD THAT I WANTED TO HANG OUT WITH THEM AND TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH OF A BAD ASS KID YOU ARE. IF YOU CAN SEE
ALL THIS WRITING THERE ARE KIDS THAT I DONT EVEN KNOW WRITING ON THIS WEBSITE BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT YOU WERE AN AWESOME GUY.BECAUSE OF THIS I THINK I WANT TO KNOW THEM NOW. I SAW ALOT OF FAMILAIR
FACES AT THE WAKE PEOPLE WHO I HAVE NOT TALKED TO IN THE LONGEST TIME AND I WANTED TO SO BAD I WANTED TO BE WITH THEM AND LET THEM KNOW WHEN SHIT LIKE THIS HAPPENS ALL GRUDGES ARE GONE. MY WORST
ENEMY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD COULD OF WALKED UP TO ME AND WANTED TO FIGHT ME AT YOUR WAKE AND ALL I WOULD OF DONE IS SHAKE HIS HAND AND GIVE HIM A HUG AND ASK HIM HOW HE WAS DOING BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE
SAD. THERE SAD BECAUSE YOUR NO LONGER IN THERE LIFES. THAT IS A BIG THING TO SAY, THAT YOU (the funny kid the red head kid who would fall off of roofs (hahhaha) ) THAT KID YOU ARE NO LONGER WITH US MAN. AND THAT
HURTS. ITS FUNNY BECAUSE SOMETIMES I HAVE LEARNED THAT YOU DONT REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE UNTIL IT IS GONE. SOME OF THE COOLEST KIDS I HAVE MET IN HIGH SCHOOL HAVE TAKEN A MAJOR BLOW BECAUSE OF
AND SO HAVE I. IT DOESNT MATTER HOW GOOD OF FRIENDS PEOPLE WERE WITH YOU BEST , GOOD , JUST PEOPLE WHO KNEW YOU IT AFFECTS US ALL. I USED TO JOKE AROUND ABOUT KILLING MYSELF AND I KNOW SOME OF MY FRIENDS
HAVE DONE IT TOO (you know who you are) BUT AFTER THIS I COULD NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS EVER SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU WERE ONE OF MY FRIENDS , AND THAT PROBLEM TOOK YOUR LIFE. I DONT HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS FOR EVERY
BODY ABOUT WHY U DID IT AND I DONT THINK ANYONE REALLY EVER WILL BUT I KNOW SUICIDE IS A HUGE DEAL IN MODERN DAY AMERICA. ITS VERY UNFORTUNATE THAT IT HAD TO HAPPEN TO SOMEONE I KNOW , AND EVEN WORSE ITS
UNFORTUNATE IT HAD TO HAPPEN TO SOMEONE I WAS PRETTY GOOD FRIENDS WITH. I WISH THAT I COULD HAVE THE TIME TO SPEND ONE DAY WITH EVERY SINGLE PERSON AT THE WAKE AND HANG OUT WITH THEM FOR THAT ONE DAY
AND GET TO KNOW THEM BETTER THEN I KNOW MYSELF. ITS BECAUSE WHEN STUFF LIKE THIS HAPPENS YOU HAVE TO BOND AND BECOME CLOSE WITH EVERYONE , NOT JUST YOUR FRIENDS. THAT MIGHT SOUND KIND OF CORNY BUT I DONT
CARE , AT LEAST IM BEING HONEST WITH EVERYONE WHO IS GOING TO READ THIS(or hopefully read this). IF I HAD A PENNY FOR EVERY SINGLE AWAY MESSAGE , EVERY SINGLE PROFILE , AND EVERY SINGLE CONVERSATION HELD ABOUT
HOW MUCH PEOPLE MISSED YOU I THINK I WOULD BE THE RICHEST PERSON ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH. but if you want the honest to god truth i wish it was at zero i wish i could come online and not have to read that stuff or listen to people
because it brings me down and it brings all of my friends down and it brings people i know down. THE ONLY TRUE REASON WHY IT DOESN BRING ANYONE DOWN IS BECAUSE PEOPLE MISS YOU SO MUCH. I THINK I CAN SPEAK FOR EVERYONE
THAT EVERYONE WISHES YOU WERE HERE.