Newman coping with deaths: School hit by 
loss of student, classmate’s mother

STERLING – The marquee at Newman Central Catholic High School spelled it out –  Wednesday was not just another school day.

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Two messages posted on Newman's front lawn – "Pray for our families" and "Rest in peace Michael" – told the community that the high school was coping with the sudden deaths of two Sterling residents with ties to the school.

One student lost her mother to a fatal car crash on one side of town, and one of her classmates died similarly on the other side.

Bridget Doran, 40, the mother of Newman sophomore Tayler Doran and graduate Nate Doran, died Friday when her car hit the back of a semitrailer on state Route 2 near Sauk Valley Community College.

Four days later, 16-year-old sophomore Mike McGarvey died in a crash at the intersection of U.S. Route 30 and state Route 2. The Tuesday wreck also killed Beverly Alls, 69, of Erie.

"It's been a bad week," Newman Athletic Director Mike Papoccia said.

As news of McGarvey's death spread among the school's students and teachers Tuesday night, many in the Newman family gathered at Sacred Heart Church to console one another. The gathering included students, teachers, the school's principal, the Rev. David Finn, and a former assistant principal, the Rev. Paul White.

On Wednesday, students signed a memorial with a banner for McGarvey's parents, Danny and Kay. There was a picture of McGarvey, flowers and candles.

"It was really hard today," said Austin Sensenig, 16, of Dixon, who was McGarvey's friend. On Saturday, the junior will be an honorary pallbearer at his funeral.

About half of the school attended Bridget Doran's funeral in Ohio Wednesday, which was emotional, Sensenig said. Meanwhile, the atmosphere at school was quiet. Teachers repeated that "we all need to stick together as a Newman family and get through this as a family."

The school also called in a team of counselors who were available for students coping with the loss.

Another friend of McGarvey's, junior Andrew Schreiner, said teachers encouraged students to express their grief and to share stories.

The teachers and counselors reminded the students "it's happening for a reason," Schreiner said. "God didn't just take them away."

Seat belts played no role in deaths

Though police often credit them for saving lives, seat belts did not appear to play a role in the Tuesday crash that killed a Sterling teen and an Erie woman.

Beverly J. Alls, 69, was wearing a belt, however, Michael McGarvey, 16, was not, said Illinois State Police Trooper Melissa Randick. She added that even if he had, it probably would not have made a difference.

McGarvey was westbound just before 7 p.m. on U.S. Route 30 when he approached the intersection of state Route 2, an area known locally as K's Korners. To avoid a car stopped at the four-way stop, McGarvey crossed into the eastbound lane and collided head-on with a minivan driven by Alls, according to Illinois State Police.

Both were killed instantly, according to Whiteside County Coroner Joe McDonald.

The accident remains under investigation.