Virginia Tech student's life and humor celebrated

MELROSE -- In silence, prayer, and with a touch of jazz, family and friends of Ross Alameddine returned to his childhood church yesterday to celebrate the life of the Virginia Tech sophomore, who was recalled as a loving son and a loyal friend known for his quick wit and quirky humor.

"I will miss your jokes and laughs," his sister, Yvonne , 23, said before the more than 500 people who filled St. Mary of the Annunciation Church. "Ross always wanted to make the lives of people better."

The 20-year-old sophomore was one of the 32 people killed April 16 on the campus in Blacksburg, Va., by gunman Seung-Hui Cho , who then took his own life. Virginia authorities are investigating the motives of the 23-year-old senior, who shot Alameddine while he sat in French class in Norris Hall. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.

Yvonne Alameddine said her brother, whom she nicknamed "Doodle" for his love of drawing, had been "violently ripped" from her family. "I just feel lost."

Alameddine was the son of Lynnette Alameddine of Saugus and Abdullah Alameddine , a Stoneham doctor. He was a 2005 graduate of Austin Preparatory School in Reading, where a memorial scholarship has been established in his honor. At Virginia Tech, Alameddine was majoring in English, and he and Cho shared a class last fall.

He was buried in a private ceremony last week. At yesterday's memorial Mass, grade school friends and prep school pals wept as the Rev. John M. Sullivan , St. Mary's pastor, tried to comfort mourners still stunned by Alameddine's death.

"What a difficult two weeks have gone by," Sullivan said to a silent congregation. "Each of you is trying to understand why. . . . There is deep grief and shock."

Sullivan, who met privately last week with some of Alameddine's former class mates at St. Mary's, said his tragic death left many of them fearful. "Some of Ross's classmates spoke of being on different college campuses and feeling scared. And also feeling isolated."

The priest, who had known Alameddine since he was in the seventh grade, mourned the student's lost future. "Ross really was just like any other kid seeking that key to happiness, seeking to make a difference in the world. In the end, he [suffered] a very sudden, very brutal, and very public death. 'Murder,' that word has a certain cut to it."

Sullivan also asked family and friends to remember Ross's "quick wit and intelligence" and to focus on the Catholic belief in eternal life. "We see the wisdom of the Lord, who rose on Easter Sunday. It's not just a fable. It's real."

No mention was made of Cho, although prayers were offered for all of the Virginia Tech victims and their families.

The 70-minute Mass was celebrated by four priests, including the Rev. Jonathan P. DeFelice , president of St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., from where Yvonne Alameddine graduated last year.

After the Mass, a six-piece jazz ensemble performed as a tribute to Ross Alameddine's love of music. A trauma counselor from the Boston Public Health Department was also on hand to answer questions for people struggling to cope.

Catherine Gannon , a retired assistant headmaster at Austin Prep, said her former student might have blushed over the tribute.

"I think he would have been embarrassed," Gannon said, smiling as she walked away from the church. "But I'm glad we came together today. Ross was a wonderful kid. If I was having a rough day at school, I could count on Ross to make me smile."

Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com.