 | Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny Shawn Gordley, center, father of Caleb Gordley, gets hugs from Susan Klepacz, left, Caleb’s great aunt, and another mourner during a memorial for the slain teenager March 21. |
A 16-year-old junior and student-athlete at Park View High School, Gordley was shot and killed in the early hours of March 17 after accidentally sneaking into the wrong house after a night out with friends. Gordley lived only a few houses down from the home he died in.
More than 200 people visited the Elk Lodge to honor Gordley.
Photos around the hall documented the teenager's life, from a smiling infant clad only in a diaper to a serious faced basketball player adorned in Park View's red and blue colors. Gordley's number 11 basketball jerseys -both home and away- hung from railing. An aspiring rapper who used the name “Prince George,” Gordley's music blasted through the speakers. A projector highlighted his athletic achievements and quotes from coaches and teammates.
“It was an honor sharing the court with him this season,” one teammate said.
“Caleb was genuine person who always strived (sic) to be great,” said Park View football coach Ferris Eways.
Many of the attendees donned orange and black, in honor of Gordley's favorite team, the Cincinnati Bengals, while others wore Park View shirts and sweatshirts. Shawn Gordley, Caleb's father, wore Gordley's Park View basketball sweatshirt.
Students fought back tears as they filled out card for a memory box for the Gordley family.
“He would always crack jokes on people,” said Chelsea Crum, a junior at Park View. “He would just make people laugh. He had this look he would give me. I don't even know how to describe it.”
Through the tragedy, Gordley's friends and family are just trying to keep the memory of the smiling sixteen-year-old alive.
The video concluded with a message to the young man from the high school is was so active in.
“Caleb, you will always be with us.”
For information regarding the Caleb Gordley shooting, click here and here.
 | Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny Park View High School graduate Deedee Colon, center, writes a memory of Caleb Gordley for the memory box while another mourner puts hers in the box at his memorial March 21. Colon knew Gordley since he was a freshman. |
 | Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny Susan Klepacz, left, Caleb Gordley's great aunt from Dayton, Ohio, and Jay Mullen, a college friend of Shawn Gordley and owns the house Shawn lived in with his children, look down at a photo of Caleb during a memorial for the slain teenager. Mullen says Caleb called him uncle and he thought of him as a surrogate son. The Gordley children have lived with their father and Mullen for two and a half years, after moving from their mother's home in Dayton for better safety and upbringing out of the city, he said. |
 | Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny Flowers for Caleb Gordley sit on a table at the entrance of a memorial gathering for the slain teenager March 21 at the Elk Lodge in Sterling. |
 | Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny Mourners attend a vigil at the Elk Lodge in Sterling March 21 for Park View High School student Caleb Gordley, who died early March 17 after being shot by a neighbor whose home he mistakenly broke into. |
My sincerest condolences to the Gordley family. I pray for peace and God’s healing hand upon them in the difficult months ahead.
I came here to say that the title of this online article is far more appropriate than the one that was put on the paper version of the newspaper which reads simply “Community Remembers Slain Teenager”. That title once again displays this newspaper’s bias against law abiding gun owners by insinuating that Caleb’s death was wrongful, evil, or malicious. What happened is absolutely a horrible tragedy, but it is a tragedy born of bad decisions on the part of the young man, not the homeowner whose home was being threatened in the middle of the night by an unresponsive, unknown 6 foot tall male. This is the second time in the reporting of this story that reporters for this paper have vilified the homeowner through the subtle and intentional use of their words.
I know my comment is “off topic”, but it is important for all Americans to remember that our homes and our right to protect them are sacred. We must hold our media (as much as our government) accountable for the message they send.
With that off my chest, may God keep and protect Caleb Gordley and may He grant serenity and strength to his family.
RIP Caleb
:(
My deepest condolences to the Gordley family.
 |
The Loudoun Times-Mirror is an interactive, digital replica of the printed newspaper.Open the e-edition now. |
 Weekly Homes Guide |
 Guide to Loudoun |
 Holiday Gift Guide |
 Health and Wellness |
 Bridal Guide |
 Historic Frederick Maryland |
 Taste of Loudoun |
 Senior Lifestyles |
 Historic Downtown Leesburg |
 Future Leaders |
 Coming Soon |
Coming Soon |