"I can’t ever cuddle with him or hug him and tell him I love him again, but now Debbie will do that for me.” So said Max Schachter, 46, at the funeral of his son Alex. Alex was 14, one of the victims of the Florida shooting. Debbie, Alex’s mother, died ten years ago, and now her son is buried next to her at the Star of David Memorial Gardens Cemetery. So many people turned up for Alex’s funeral that the service had to be moved to a nearby convention centre.
When I spoke to Schachter this week, he sounded stressed and tense. An insurance agent, he is finding strength and purpose by establishing two foundations, one promoting school safety and the other to perpetuate Alex’s love of music.
He told me about rebuilding his life after Debbie’s death, and marrying Caryn, a widow with two daughters. With the two Schachter boys they formed a new happy, loving family.
Alex liked to play basketball and read. Recently, he’d developed a passion for playing the trombone. He was a skinny kid, according to his dad, but he developed muscles to cope with the rigour of daily band practice, and had the satisfaction of playing in his school’s band when they beat Park Vista High, one of the best local bands.
