Community remembers Rickards High band student and mother a year after crash
TTallahassee

Community remembers Rickards High band student and mother a year after crash

  • November 11, 2025

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Veterans Day will never be the same for Hansel Witmer.

Last year, Hansel, his brother, Gavin, and their mother, Angelique, were involved in a car crash while on their way to Tallahassee’s Veterans Day Parade.

The brothers were set to perform in the parade with the Rickards High School band.

Hansel was the only one who survived the wreck.

Now, a year later, that same event paused for a moment of silence to honor the lives of Gavin and Angelique.

“A lot of moments in my life I couldn’t have gotten through without them. They definitely gave me the motivation and inspiration to do my best. And they still give me strength. Just the memory of them.”

Even though Angelique and Gavin weren’t veterans, John Pantoja, the president of Veterans Events Tallahassee, which organizes the parade, said it was important to him and his organization to ensure they were honored.

“Just with the way veterans operate, we already knew it was the right thing to do,” he said.

This year, the Rickards High School band was featured first in the parade in Gavin’s honor.

Mark said Gavin was incredibly goal oriented and knew exactly what he wanted to do with his...Mark said Gavin was incredibly goal oriented and knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life. He planned to marry his long-term high school girlfriend, attend either FSU or FAMU and be a jazz musician. Mark said Gavin had just finished filling out his college applications a few days before the crash.(FAMU Marching 100)

Mark Witmer said he greatly appreciates how the community has continued to come together since the passing of his wife and son.

“It’s really touching just how the community has come together over this,” he said. “Loss just reminds you of those things that bring you solidarity as a people and how much we need each other to get through these things in life.”

Angelique Witmer and her husband, Mark Witmer. Mark described his wife as a rare and...Angelique Witmer and her husband, Mark Witmer. Mark described his wife as a rare and phenomenal woman who gave her whole heart to the things she cared about, whether it was her work, her family or her wide range of passions.(Mark Witmer)

The Rickards band also honored Gavin’s love for music by playing his favorite song during their parade performance.

The Witmer family was also surprised to be gifted a challenge coin — a symbol of respect and an acknowledgment of sacrifice or dedication.

The Witmer family has organized a GoFundMe in hopes of creating a memorial scholarship for seniors in the Rickards High School Marching Band.

So far, just over $13,000 has been raised, and 102 people have donated to the fundraiser.

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