I imagine Donna and Stephen Gallo know exactly how Ralph DeSimone feels.
Horrible.
The Gallos were honored this week for something no one wants. For the past four years, they have been working to keep the legacy of their vibrant young daughter Nicole alive. We added our salute on our editorial page today.
Nicole was struck and killed when an impaired, distracted driver lost control of her car, careened up onto the sidewalk outside Delaware County Memorial Hospital, and fatally struck Nicole. She was gone in the blink of an eye. Nicole Gallo was just 19.
In a cruel twist of fate, those eerie circumstances were repeated recently on Baltimore Pike, where a crash involving another allegedly impaired driver sent another car up onto the sidewalk, striking Dante DeSimone and a friend outside the McDonald's in Clifton Heights. Another young life gone in a heartbeat.
Nicole had just completed her freshman year at Lebanon Valley College. Dante was just days away from heading back to Neumann University for his second semester.
Just as the Gallos have endeavored to keep Nicole's spirit alive, Dante's family, including his father Ralph, are doing the same.
They are planning an ice hockey tournament and other fundraisers to start a scholarship in the young athlete's name.
The Gallos have done likewise, establishing the Sunshine Scholarship Fund to help other girls further their education.
Nothing will fill the void these terrible tragedies have left in the lives of the Gall and DeSimone families.
We honor them by keeping their vibrant, youthful spirits alive.
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