On Monday, July 23, 2007 a college friend from 30 years ago became one of those people who helps us understand how to answer this question.I lived across the hall from Bill Petit in a dorm at Dartmouth College from September 1974 until December 1975. Bill was and is an outgoing, gregarious, and wonderfully warm person. After Dartmouth, Bill became a doctor, married, and raised his family of two daughters in Connecticut. Although we never lived near each other and rarely saw each other (only every 5 years at reunions), I still to this day have a wonderfully warm spot in my heart for Bill. He is just that kind of person.
From the Hartford Courant newsapaper:
"Petit's home life was that of a man pleasantly outnumbered by women. On Monday (7/23/07), that home was destroyed in every sense. Steven Hayes, 44, and Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, are charged with breaking into the home and beating Petit with a baseball bat. They are accused of raping Jennifer Hawke-Petit and at least one of their daughters, strangling the mother and lighting the Sorghum Mill Drive house on fire. They left the girls to perish upstairs, one still tied to her bed while Petit - having been tied up in the cellar - managed to make it up the stairs and escape through the flames."An awful, horrible, tragic event. No way can I even imagine the pain and heat ache Bill feels.
On Saturday, July 28th, 1,800+ people attended a memorial service for Bill's family. It was an amazing testimony to the indomitable human spirit and the power of hope.
Bill's wife Jennifer's father, Rev. Richard Hawke spoke. One of 50+ cousins the two girls shared spoke.
"We have much to rejoice about, because of the precious memories we have, " William Petit's sister, Johanna Petit, said, "My brother Billy is a good, strong man. His wife, Jen, was equally good and strong....If any good can come from this tragedy, it's going to have to come from you," she said to those at the service. "It's going to have to come from all of us."
The Bill himself rose to speak. His face showing the signs of the savage beating with a baseball he endured when he confronted the invaders. But Bill did not talk of death. Instead, he talked about the life he shared with Jennifer and his daughters. And as Bill spoke, the answer to how he will be able to carry on with his life began to become obvious.
Bill said, "I guess if there is anything to be gained from the senseless deaths of my beautiful family, it's for us all to go forward with the inclination to live with a faith that embodies action, help a neighbor, fight for a cause, love your family...Live well," he said, "spread the work of these three wonderful women."
