Hundreds of community members gathered in Kingston Plaza on Friday night, January 12 for a candlelight vigil honoring Jack Noble and Dillon Gokey, Kingston High School (KHS) juniors who died in a car crash on Monday, January 8.
It was a mournful night of remembrance and tribute to the two KHS student-athletes whose lives were cut tragically short. Hundreds turned out to pay their respects to Noble and Gokey, as well as their friend Joseph Sepesi, who survived the accident on Monday. Friends, family, teachers, coaches and many others held candles and shared memories. They stood together, side by side. They held one another. They cried. Two blue balloons were released into the night sky.
Among the speakers at the vigil was Rob Parisian, a KHS social studies teacher and coach of the varsity baseball team.
“These were two young men who did everything that we could ever want from young men in our community,” said Parisian of Noble and Gokey. “They lived respectfully. They worked hard. They took it upon themselves to do the things that weren’t asked of them, but made them better people. They made you better people. And that’s why we’re here tonight.”
Casey Westermann, a technology teacher at J. Watson Bailey Middle School and the coach of the KHS varsity boys lacrosse team, spoke about Noble and Sepesi, the latter flown to Westchester Medical Center from Monday’s accident with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
“In the classroom, Joey had a lot of energy, always smiling, and he’s going to bring that towards his recovery,” Westermann said. “But Jack, Jack was quiet, he was reserved. The biggest thing I remember about Jack, he had the kindest eyes. He just had a stare of wonder and kindness. And as a teacher in a classroom full of students who might not want to be there, I would always look to my right, close, up front, and there would be Jack. He was my anchor to let me know that what I was teaching about, people were listening. He was listening.”
The vigil was the culmination of a week of tributes on social media and mourning at Kingston High School. On a KHS Facebook post about the vigil, people shared prayers and memories. The vigil itself, which was aided by the Cornell Cooperative Extension and many local businesses, was guided by classmates of Noble, Gokey and Sepesi.
“It was put on by the students,” said Kingston City School District (KCSD) Superintendent Paul Padalino on the day of the vigil. “The Class of 2025 really wanted to do this. Their advisors helped them, and it really was a lot of local people who stepped up to assist our Class of 2025. I think it is a really good reflection of how the community comes together when there’s a crisis.”
On Monday, Padalino sent a letter to the community, offering guidance from the KCSD Critical Incident Stress Management Team (CISM) comprised of social workers, psychologists, nurses, counselors and safety personnel to assist students, staff and parents who might find comfort in talking to someone.
“Our hearts ache as we process this tragic news, and our love and support go out to all those affected by this unimaginable loss,” Padalino said. “We recognize that events of this nature can evoke a range of emotions and may be especially challenging for our students, staff and families to navigate. We encourage families to talk openly with their children about their feelings and reassure them that it’s okay to seek help if needed. Additionally, please be mindful of any signs of distress or changes in behavior that your child may exhibit and reach out to our school counselors or administration for assistance.”
On Friday, Padalino said the offer was still open and wasn’t going away anytime soon.
“We really keep our support team, our crisis management team in place for a long time,” he said. “We have special rooms established at the high school for students or faculty or family members or anyone who wants to come in and just needs to talk to somebody.”
Noble was driving Gokey and Sepesi on the morning of Monday, January 8 when their car was involved in a four-vehicle crash on state Route 28 near the Route 212 intersection in Mount Tremper after being hit by a tractor-trailer driven by Bronx resident Ramon LunaLuna. According to a police report, LunaLuna said he was unable to stop after seeing the Honda driven by Noble attempting to turn left onto Route 212. Two other cars were also involved in the incident.
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