This is a section for things people have written about Tori. If you've written something and you'd like for me to put it on this page, please e-mail me.
This is a speech; written by Tori's mother and read by teacher Mr. Hovermale at her memorial service.
Tori's views on life were not always mainstream. She considered herself a little "quirky". She would tell her family that she wasn't "preppy" enough to be considered a "prep", not smart enough to be considered a "nerd", not athletic enough to be called a "jock", not perky enough to be called a "cheerleader", but too much of these things to be considered a "radical". In other words, she recognized that people were categorized by how they looked, and how they acted, and who they hung with and Tori did NOT want to be categorized.
She wanted her social circle to include people who didn't care if the hockey team had a less than stellar record, they were still going to play as though they were headed for the state championship, and to include people who would go to the Independent Film Festival with her and not only sit through subtitles but also discuss the merits of black and white vs. color film. And if you considered Johnny Depp the sexiest man alive, or thought that "Liam" was the most beautiful name for a kid, or thought field hockey was the only sport worth playing then there was no doubt you were a friend of hers. And if you could also sit through watching Blow, Almost Famous, and Donnie Darko at least twice a month, well then you were really special. Of course, you also had to love Bob Dylan as much as you loved Damien Rice and Bright Eyes.
Her views on death were not mainstream either. She was not religious but she was spiritual. She did not believe in Heaven or Hell but knew that something had to happen after death-- she just wasn't sure what. She would love the fact that people were leaving flowers and stuffed animals out on the highway for her, and she would want her family and friends to fall weeping over her coffin. She loved drama in her life. She would want it in her death. So feel free to cry and scream today and litter the floor with kleenex-- and please feel a little sad when she's not at Senior Prom or Graduation-- she'd like that too.
BUT...
You know Tori-- she was always involved in some project-- she was never home because she had to put up Christmas lights, or work on yearbook, or practice hockey, or help make the float, or decorate the halls for spirit week, and she was always having to go out "because my friend is upset and needs me". If she was home it seemed she was constantly on the phone or instant messaging someone on the computer because as she put it, "they were having a crisis". So I know spiritually she is hanging around to say goodbye to everyone today, and she wants you to weep and hug each other and say "Why Tori", but then she also wants you to let her go because she has projects awaiting her somewhere else-- places to go, things to do.
Right now is "Tori time", but tomorrow is the rest of your life. Her family is going to remember her by establishing a Scholarship fund in her name-- and it will go to some future "quirky" student who wants to follow paths similar to her interests. So she won't be forgotten. It is OK for you to laugh and joke around tomorrow and go out and have fun and be a kid. You don't have to get quiet and solemn if you see her parents or her sisters. You don't have to feel guilty if you laugh at lunch time Monday.
A letter to the senior class following Tori's death.
To the Senior Class
Wednesday, December 03, 2003
I would like to think that Tori got some of her love for writing from me. I too wanted to be a journalist, but grew up in a family, and in a time, where it was not considered a suitable vocation for women. So of course it was wonderful for me to know she did want to do that. She was obviously more obsessed with it than I was-- she wrote any time, anywhere-- there are two of those big plastic storage boxes you get for clothing in her closet that are filled with scraps of thought. Some scribbled on napkins even-- sudden thoughts she had, half finished stories, lists of names for characters she wanted to put in her stories, phrases from songs and poems she thought were neat. And these things were just for her-- she never expected that one day other people would read her journals. Normally I would never intrude on her privacy this way, but because of the circumstances I am sure she would not mind me sharing with you a couple more things that she found important enough to write down this month.
The salvageable contents of her car were brought to me today and on the back of an application form for The Delaware Women Trail Blazer Scholarship form-- something she just must have recently picked up from Mrs. Heyd-- was scrawled another on of her random notes. This one being very prophetic-- whether it was something she was thinking about herself, something she heard in a song or read in a book, or maybe someone had said to her, I don't know, but it reads "Never ever leave w/o telling your loved ones how you feel. Never take anything for granted."
The fact that she was in working on the yearbook on the day of her death when she could have made up an excuse to get out of it is indicative of how important it was to her to make that special book for all of you. In a scrap book at home I have found that she had made a list of people she was going to invite to her Graduation camp out in our woods-- something she had forgotten to ask permission for, but nevertheless she was going ahead with her planning, knowing we would give in to her. I think she must have planned on inviting all of you from the length of the list! She already was working on a speech she was going to give at graduation. Several times she discussed with me what she wanted to propose for the Senior Class trip-- instead of the usual Water or Amusement park with a long bus ride, she wanted the whole class to go on a dinner cruise at Suicide Bridge-- she felt it would be "so much more intimate". She loved school. She loved her classmates. She loved being a senior. She felt the class of 2004 was the best graduating class in a long time, if not in the history of Woodbridge!!!
This is an essay that was written by Tori's friend and classmate, Tamara Skis.
As a day well spent brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death." (Leonardo da Vinci) This quote can inspire anyone to keep their life full of interesting and eventful activities. Tori didn't have that quote to inspire her, all she had was life as her inspiration. Sadly her source of inspiration expired on her.
Anyone who ever knew or met Tori would agree she was a bright girl. Not just bright as in smart, but bright as a rainbow. Red symbolizes the blood that ran through her gigantic heart. Orange can be corresponded to her outgoing and vibrant clothing choice. Yellow, like the color from the shining sun, reproduces her captivating smile. Green is the color of the earth, which she was very "down to" as the saying goes. Blue is the color of the sky, in which she and her thoughts fly. Purple is the color of nobility, possessed by her in every aspect of life, for she was faithful and true. She was God's promise to the world. As a young aspiring writer who could write anything prolifically, she spoke to people through her poems. After her passing, she spoke to us all through excerpts of her journal, and we were able to get a more in-depth look into her world of words.
Back to Leonardo da Vinci, the artist. Tori was an artist as well. She could sculpt words and ideas into masterpieces out minds more than loved. She used these talents in such ways that permeated everyone such as the school news report. Her art didn't just go to words, but infiltrated all aspects of her life. Graceful as a dancer, she learned to move her body in the art of field hockey. This sport was a passion and one could see the fire in her eyes as she ran down the field. Her artistic ability also stretched to acting and theater. She wrote some of her own mini plays and starred as a lead in a school production. Miming was an art form she didn't have to study, for her body language always said more than it needed. She wasn't afraid to paint her own image either. She wasn't a conformist nor was she a noncomformist. Somehow she found a happy medium and for that, all liked her.
It was once suggested that if God were to ever get writer's cramp and handed the pen to Tori, she would write in all the "corny" details of our lives that we may take for granted. There would be endless parades of what has become to be called (by my friends and I) as "Tori moments." These are moments when your mouth says something before your brain can truly comprehend. There would also be photographs and video to document the insignificant events that make life worth living. No small party would be forgotten; no absent-minded saying would be unwritten.
As a friend from childhood, a loss such as this has had some influences. Everyday on my way to school I see where her accident took place and I feel humbled. Classes that I once had with her are now incomplete. The fire of our senior class extinguished on that day.
October 15, 1986, Tori came into this world and for seventeen years she made everyday of her life count. She faced challenges with a never fading smile. So even though her smile is no longer present, its warmth is still felt in the heart of those she touched. According to da Vinci's quote, she's in a happy death for a life well used.
This is a page from the 2004 Woodbridge yearbook; written by Lindsey Collison. A scan of this page is on the Yearbook page.
When most people think of Tori, they think of a fun-loving and outgoing kind of person. She never hesitated to try something new and was always up for a good challenge. She touched the hearts of just about everyone that she knew, and that is more than most of us will ever be able to say. A time never existed when she was not putting a smile on the faces of others, and she was hardly ever seen with a frown on hers. Tori was involved in a number of extracurricular activities and clubs including; Key Club, Class Officer, French Club, French National Honor Society, Whatchamacallit, Video Production, Yearbook, Field Hockey, Softball, and a number of other activities. Tori loved to travel, especially to Paris; and was planning on travelling there more often to visit some family. She was original and unique in every way possible. Being the spontaneous person that she was, Tori was never part of a 'group'. Some people viewed her as a bridge that connected many rivers, and that was very true. Many looked to Tori for advice. Her friends knew that if they needed something, no matter what time it was, if it was the middle of the night, they could call Tori and she would know what to do. She loved to have get togethers with her friends and have a movie night almost weekly. She adored Johnny Depp, and had a passion for music. Tori had a love for drama and participated in nurmerous school plays. Having the personality that she had, Tori always knew how to entertain her friends. Playing hide-and-seek in the dark school hallway was actually what she spent her last hours doing. She had the ability to take the smallest errand, and make it into the biggest adventure of her life! Although Tori will not be with us on Graduation Day and Prom, she will be with us in our hearts and we can take her with us wherever we go. She was an inspiration to all of us, and she will be missed forever. Always hold on to the memories you had with Tori, and think of her often.
-Lindsey Collison, Class President"Never ever leave without telling your loved ones how you feel. Never take anything for granted." -Anon.