Flickers of light memorialize victims
Gallup candlelight vigil remembers those killed by violent acts

By Leslie Wood
Staff writer

GALLUP — A crowd of family and friends of local homicide victims gathered at the McKinley County Courthouse entryway to remember their loved ones.
Cold temperatures and breezy winds didn’t keep bundled residents from participating in the annual candlelight memorial for those killed by violence.

The ceremony focused on twenty-five individuals, all under the age of 25, who were lost so suddenly.

Their pictures rested on the courthouse steps and were lined with red candles. A home-made display also featured photographs of a few of the honorees.

“Tonight we pause from our busy lives as we remember loved ones whose lives were stolen from us before they were fulfilled,” Richard Malone, county medical investigator, said.

Malone asked those in attendance to encourage one another during the sometimes difficult holiday season.

“Tell them you’ll be there because you care,” Malone said. “ ... Pledge to yourself, that you’ll be that comforting shoulder.”

Gloria Vigil, a grief counselor for the Office of the Medical Investigator, traveled from Albuquerque to attend Thursday’s memorial.

She is also a member of New Mexico Survivors of Homicide, a non-profit organization that reaches out to families of victims.

She, too, has lost a loved one to homicide. Her brother Steve was killed on Sept. 7, 1998.

She offered attendees tips on how to survive the holidays while coping with loss.

“I’m going to try and practice these this year,” Vigil said of the tips. “It’s a difficult time for me and my family.”

She offered the below guidelines:

• Grieve as individuals and have no time table for your grief.
• Be honest with family and friends.
• Observe holidays according to your comfort level.
• Don’t expect the same kind of experience that occurred prior to your loved one’s passing.
• Try new things. Over time, you’ll make new traditions.
• Be patient with yourself and other during the holidays.
• Malone said family members can also offer one another hope during difficult times.

“We can offer each other this light,” Malone said.