The Abington Heights school community mourns the deaths of two young adults who were killed in separate car crashes on Sunday.
Autumn Beemer, an 18-year-old Abington Heights student, died in a one-car crash in Newton Twp., South Abington Twp. police confirmed.
Marshal Gordon, 19, of Clarks Summit, a 2024 Abington Heights High School graduate, died in a crash while traveling south on Route 92 in Gibson Twp., Susquehanna County, state police said.
Peter Smith, director of student services for the Abington Heights School District, described the atmosphere around the high school Monday as “shocking and confusing.”
“There is a community, including teachers, staff, counselors, and our students, who are grappling with two deaths of young people,” he said. “It’s just kind of a shocking moment in a young person’s life and it obviously affects teachers who are involved with these kids and spend a lot of time with them. They have their own thoughts and emotions to work through as they’re trying to maintain a sense of normalcy and routine while the school is grieving.”
Gordon (Courtesy Abington Heights High School)
Beemer (Photo courtesy Abington Heights High School)
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Gordon (Courtesy Abington Heights High School)
Police responded to Winola Road around 4:34 p.m. and discovered Beemer had lost control of her Chevrolet Trailblazer and went off the roadway, Patrolman Anthony Percival said.
The crash, which was weather-related, remains under investigation, Percival said.
Doug Cook, senior director of college advancement for Johnson College, confirmed Beemer was studying welding in the college’s Industry Fast Track Program, a partnership between Johnson and local school districts.
Smith characterized Beemer as a driven student eyeing her next step in life.
“Autumn was really focused on her career,” he said. “She was involved with Johnson College, studying welding technology. She was a very hands-on learner and had a strong sense that she was going to go right out into the world of work, and be successful, right out of high school.”
Gordon lost control of his Ford F250 SuperCab truck on an icy roadway around 6:05 a.m. and struck an embankment and several small trees, coming to rest on the passenger side, troopers said.
Gordon — who was not wearing a seat belt — was partially ejected out of the passenger side front window and pronounced dead at the scene by the Susquehanna County coroner’s office, state police said.
Smith remembers Gordon’s bubbly personality.
“Marshall always had a smile on his face,” Smith said. “He just seemed to be a genuinely happy, carefree kind of person.”
The Abington Heights School District sent out an email Monday morning announcing the deaths of Beemer and Gordon. Additionally, the district implemented a two-hour delay Monday to organize counseling and support services for students and staff members, school officials said.
As a way to help them process the loss, students in Beemer’s English class wrote individual letters to her family, wishing them well and offering support, Smith said.
“When you’re in a district this big, you’re going to run into people passing away unexpectedly,” Smith added. “We’re always prepared for it, and it always looks different; we just go in with as many resources as we can put together to support our students and staff.”
Smith noted that Beemer and Gordon were different types of students but stressed both were respected around the school community.
“There’s a general sense that these were good people, and they were well liked by teachers and their peers,” he said. “It’s just a tragic loss.”