Posted: January 22, 2013
By MELISSA BOUGHTON
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — Derek Crane is not a man of many words, but he wrote a few for Monday as he faced his worst nightmare: laying to rest his only son.

“I know Hunter is looking at us right now and telling me and his mom and Kaitlyn not to cry, but I feel like my best buddy has been stolen away from me,” he wrote in a letter that his wife — who stood holding his hand — had to read aloud for him.

There wasn’t an empty pew at Winchester Church of God as family, friends, classmates and other mourners gathered to celebrate the life of 18-year-old James Wood senior Hunter Crane.

Crane, of Whitacre, was traveling north on Smokey Hollow Road near Capon Bridge, W.Va., around 3:30 p.m. Jan. 15 when he drove off the roadway and struck a utility pole, according to West Virginia State Police.

His 2007 silver Ford Fusion rolled several times following the impact and came to a rest after striking a tree. The teen, who was ejected from the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Several people spoke and shared fond memories at his funeral Monday, including his mother, Tina, several teachers, friends, football comrades and his principal.
The most emotional address came from his parents.

“To [all of Hunter’s friends], I pray you cherish every memory you made with my son,” Tina Crane read on behalf of her husband. “As a family, we have so many wonderful memories — me and my family miss him so much.

“He was everything any dad could ask for and I was the luckiest man in the world because that wonderful boy called me dad.”

Tina Crane, who spoke in sentences broken by soft whimpers of pain and tears, said that she never in her life thought she would have to wake up one morning to prepare to go to her child’s funeral.

“What can I say?” she asked, wiping away the tears. “What can I say to the one boy that just lit our world up?”

She recalled one of her last conversations with her son about writing an essay for college applications.

Out of curiosity, Tina Crane said, she searched her son’s computer early Monday morning and found a document titled “Life Rules by Hunter Crane” — which listed eight sentences to live by.

“I just read that and I thought, he knew exactly who he was; he knew exactly what he wanted and he really did it,” she said.

Others spoke of Crane’s infectious smile, “adorable” dimples and magnetic personality.

“He used his smile to enrich those around him,” said James Wood High School Principal Joe Salyer. “His smile brought cheer to the discouraged and sunshine to the sad.

“May we always remember the value of that smile and apply those traits that Hunter did to our lives each day.”

Football players commented about how they would miss playing with Crane and how they considered him a brother and the Cranes to be a second family.

All the kids would end up at the Crane home, one said, adding that they would never forget that.

“Everything we do is for him and everything we ever do will be for him,” said one of Crane’s best friends and fellow players.

Teachers recalled his hard work and playful attitude.

“He lived his life. He wasn’t a passive observer — he lived out loud,” said one of Crane’s former teachers.

Crane’s sister, Kaitlyn — a sophomore at James Wood High School — did not speak at the service but dedicated a song to her brother — “The Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Middler — prompting several to pull out facial tissues.

Derek Crane, in his letter, described his son as “that typical overprotective brother” who made sure Kaitlyn was always looked after.

He said his son had the greatest friends anyone could have and recalled having them over often and enjoying “all the craziness and all the noise.”

“I will personally never get to see him graduate, go to college, get married, have a home, or strap into another race car for one more lap around the speedway,” he said through his letter, adding that Crane “lived his life to the fullest and there was never a dull moment.”

He ended his letter with a word of advice for other parents.

“I just hope that every one of you that has a son or daughter, you tell them that you love them every day — it’s what we did — because my biggest fear came true,” Tina Crane said, reading her husband’s words. “And I will still tell Hunter every day that I love him, but I will never hear, ‘I love you, Dad.’”

Following the funeral, Crane’s family and several friends gathered at Fairview Cemetery in Gore for a last goodbye and final tribute: a balloon release.

“We all know we will see him again,” said Joseph Dilleree — an Omps Funeral Home director — just before everyone released a mass of orange and white balloons into a sunny blue sky.