A page for Tori's family.

Tori is greatly loved and remembered by her all of her family: her father Lee; her mother Annabelle; her step-father Stephen; her older sisters Chelsea and Stephanie; and many other relatives.

They have done many things in her memory. A memorial scholarship fund was established in her honor for students who wish to pursue paths similar to Tori's.

Her family had a memorial bench put in place at Woodbridge High School (more information on the bench can be found on the Memorial Photos and Shakespeare's Flower Garden pages). The bench is placed under a lovely tree.

There is also a roadside memorial for Tori. Her family has set up a sign to mark this space.

Additionally, it is Tori's father, Lee, who pays for this website; and her mother has provided a great deal of content for the many pages that you see here.

This is the text of the page Tori's family dedicated to her in the yearbook. A scan of this page can be found in Yearbook Pages.

Tori- you have always been able to see blue squares and red swirls.
-Stevie and Mommy

"We lay there and looked up at the night sky and she told me about stars called blue squares and red swirls and I told her I'd never heard of them. Of course not, she said, the really important stuff they never tell you. You have to imagine it on your own."


Tori,
You dropped into the last of 3 girls in our family. You arrived with an amazing attitude that you were already a complete person who was ready to get on with life! This strong attitude surprised a lot of people, including me. I remember a 2 year old with her hands on her hips, refusing, like someone we have never seen, to go to bed until you finished your crayon drawing. Over the years my occassional annoyance at your "stubborn streak" turned to belief that you were destined for greatness. Your long summer visits with your sisters to my Indiana home have added a great balance to both our lives. Now our little dynamo, also known as "The Torinator", is getting ready to blast off into adult life. You'll change the world for the better, there is no doubt. My best advice to you is, "always go for the highest, and listen to those who love you". My highest gratitude goes to Annabelle, Steve, and Woodbridge School for providing the stable launching pad for you, a bright and idealistic little rocket.
Love, Daddy Lee


Tori,
To my little stisto, How you have grown! I am so proud of the thoughtful, intelligent, beautiful young woman you have become. I can still picture you as a toddler, running around half-naked, demanding that things be done your way. And then as a young girl, always writing stories, poems, and plays. You are sill as stubborn, but also as creative as ever. I know that these qualities will help you in life-- you will do great things because of your will, your imagination, and your positive attitude. I'm hoping that as you go to college and move forward in your life we can continue to grow closer and that you will realize all your dreams.
Congratulations on making it this far! I love you, Stephy


To my little stisto, Torreo
Words are sometimes hard to come by with you... as you have grown and changed, so has our relationship. Tinkering on the borderline of love and hate at times, I find it hard to verbalize our connection. I actually laugh out loud when I think about the two of us. We constantly steal each other's stuff and then pretend to the other that no foul has been committed. We question each other's judgments and decisions, but we always seem to be able to support and protect each other when facing opposition (whether our mom, our sister, or just random people for entertainment). Your stubbornness drives me mad sometimes, because I don't always understand you and where you're coming from. But, at the same time, I find that despite my displays of reluctance, I actually take a secret delight in doing things for you. I have enjoyed being there for some of your events like dances, practices, parties and everything else involved with growing up and developing who you are. My leg work was a fair exchange for being able to take part in making you who you are.
And who you are is a wonderful, innovative, creative, positive, and ambitious young woman. I have learned that your stubbornness is actually strong will; a quality that I highly admire in you. You have an intriguing certainty in yourself that I am still working on acquiring myself. I am positive that you can and will use all these qualities to excel in wherever you lay your interests. We may be very different in nature in many ways, but I feel as if you and I always have a secret underlying joke or union that allows us to relate to each other no matter what is going on around in or between us. I value that so much and I want you to know that I am very proud of you and to have you as a sister. I love you.
Chelsea

This speech was written by Tori's mother and read at her service by a teacher.

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.

This piece ran in the newspaper the week of Tori's one year mark. A full size PDF file of this is available on the One Year Mark page.

Tori's oldest sister Stephanie was married in March 2005. Here's the information and some pictures.

Wedding announcement.

FERRELL-RHANIM WED Stephanie Ferrell, of Wilmington and Elias Rhanim of Paris,France were married March 26, 2005, at the Chateau de La Tour, near Chantilly, France. Stephanie is the daughter of Steve and Annabelle Tatman of Bridgeville, DE and David Lee Ferrell of Richmond, IN. She graduated from Woodbridge High School in 1995 and earned a Masters degree in Public Administration at the University of Delaware in 2002, after which she spent time travelling and working overseas. Stephanie is currently employed as the Development, Membership, and Volunteer Coordinator at the YWCA of New Castle County, in Wilmington. Elias is the son of M. Rhanim of Oujda, Morocco and Mennina Friha of Brussels, Belgium. Elias holds Masters Degrees from the Sorbonne, Paris and Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland, and a PhD in International Finance from the University of Manchester, England. He currently runs his own businesses in Paris. Chelsea Ferrell, sister of the bride served as Maid of Honor and M. Louis, friend of the groom, was best man. The bride was escorted down the aisle by her father and stepfather. After the bride was presented to the groom, a candle lighting remembrance for Stephanie and Chelsea's sister, Tori Ferrell (1986-2003) was led by Evelyne Colegrove, a friend of Tori's from Seaford DE. Evelyne also sang. Guests included friends and family from Canada, Denmark,France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Morocco and the USA.The couple honeymooned in the south of France and Spain. They plan to live in Delaware and Paris.

The happy couple on their special day.

Bride and groom with Tori's other sister, Chelsea. She was the maid of honor.

Pictures from the candle lighting ceremony held in memory of Tori.

Chelsea and Tori's best friend Evelyne lighting the candles.

Stephanie and Elias with the candles.

Tori's family ran the following in the newspaper for the 2nd anniversary of her death. You may find a large version, as well as another memorial from Tori's friends on the 2 Year Mark page.

Tori's mother Annabelle and step-father Stevie spent time in Paris for Thanksgiving 2005 with her oldest sister Stephanie and husband Elias. On November 26th, the second anniversary of Tori's death, the family visited the Pont des Arts; the pedestrian bridge outside of the Louvre museum. Tori loved Paris and the Louvre and had planned to have a picnic on the bridge with Stephanie one day.

The family tossed some of Tori's ashes into the river Seine. Along with the ashes were some red carnations sent by Evelyne (Tori's best friend) for the 2 year mark, some roses from Jen Brown's wedding bouquet that she left at the roadside memorial (Tori would have been her maid of honor), and a small butterfly cut out from the card that I sent for the anniversary (a scan of the card can be found here).

Below are the photos that Annabelle sent me from that day. Larger versions can be found in the Memorial Photo Album.

The Pont des Arts.

Stevie tossing ashes.

Stephanie tossing ashes.

Elias tossing ashes.

Flowers in the river Seine.