St. Michael Community Begins to Say Good Bye to Luke

If one wondered about the impact 16-year-old Luke Letellier had on his friends, classmates and even teachers, you just had to look around Word of Peace Lutheran Church in Rogers Sunday evening.

As an entire community struggled to come to grips with the end of Luke's two-year journey with cancer over the weekend, Word of Peace opened its doors to people who wanted to remember the former hockey standout and outdoors lover on Sunday.

"We want you to have this time and space," said Pastor Krista Strum to the more than 120 students who circled in the northern end of the church. "This is a safe place. It's O.K. to lean on your friends here. It's O.K. to be sad, to cry."

There were plenty of tears shed as students exchanged hugs, shook hands and even laughed as they remembered Luke, or even reconnected.

The hockey community showed up in full force, with many varsity and junior varsity players (Luke was a sophomore) wearing warmups.

Four stations were set up around the church worship space. One, a large poster with the "Team Luke" logo, allowed students to color in the logo and leave messages to Luke or his family.

A second station was at the front of the church, where students, family and friends stopped to light a candle, and pause for a moment of prayer.

A third station was a series of tables, where kids could draw a picture, or adults could leave a message for the Letellier family.

Finally, a fourth station allowed people to write a small prayer down on a slip of paper, and slide that into a box.

"You may want to have some words with God after this," said Pastor Strum. "That's understandable."

Funeral services, made in conjunction with Peterson Chapel of St. Michael, have been set.

There will be a memorial service Wednesday night for students and staff, set to begin at 7 p.m. at Word of Peace. Anyone is welcome, but the service will be geared for students who want a couple of minutes to "grab a microphone and share a story" for about two minutes, said Pastor Ron Prasek. 

"We'll do that for about a half-hour," Pastor Prasek stated. "I realize that we could probably go on all night."

A visitation will be held at the church from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday, followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m., also at Word of Peace.

The family will hold a burial service at a later date, privately.