Keeping Silent Angels Forever in Minds, Hearts

St. Mary’s County Sheriff Steve Hall addresses a gathering at the Silent Angel Memorial earlier this month. (Facebook photo courtesy of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office)

The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office hosted the 22nd annual Silent Angel Memorial on December 3. The event is an observance of reflection and remembrance for family and friends of those whose lives were taken by acts of violence.

St. Mary’s Sheriff Steve Hall gave the opening remarks.

“Each of these losses is like a quake in this community. Akin to a natural disaster, a quake often strikes without warning and with disorienting violence. It shakes our senses and cracks open the solid ground on which we used to tread. It shifts the landscape of our lives. In the aftermath, the survivors find chasms in their reality, aftershocks of grief, and a great void where safety and security used to be. To our survivors, the ones who live on and bravely navigate the world after these quakes of loss. You who keep these angels present in your minds, in your hearts, and on your lips; we do this for you,” he said.

Melissa Willey, the mother of Great Mills High School student Jaelynn Willey, who was shot and killed in 2018, was the guest speaker. She said, “… that day and the days following have forever changed myself, my family, and this community.

The sheriff’s office thanked the many donors and supporters, especially the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department, for making the annual event possible.