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Jesse McCord Lewis
June 30, 2006 ~ December 14, 2012
Jesse's bell is D6. When D6 rings, we remember a fun-loving, bright, strong little boy who was sweet, loving and kind. Jesse is also a hero. His clear thinking and brave action helped save many of his classmates on that fateful December day.
Jesse Lewis was a ball of energy. "He would enter a room and say "heeeerrreee's Jesse," said his mother, Scarlett Lewis. "His favorite toys were yellow rubber ducks and army men." Jesse and his mother would set up their easels next to each other and paint. The art she said helped them connect.
Jesse lived on the farm with his mother and loved pretending he was a soldier, who was protecting the farm. He would also spend time with his dad, who shared custody.
"He was just a happy boy," said Neil Heslin, Jesse's father. "Everybody knew Jesse. He was going to go places in life. He did well in school."
Heslin said he loved to play at his mom's farm. "He was terrific with animals. He's been on horses since he was a year-and-a-half old."
Jesse and his father spent part of the evening on December 13th at Stew Leonard's grocery in Danbury where they bought Christmas ornaments for one of Jesse's friends, family members, and for his first-grade teacher, Victoria Soto.
To buy the gifts, Jesse spent money he had earned, which came to $37. He was industrious and always wanted to help his father with a job -- setting tiles in a bathroom, fixing a tractor, or demolishing a wall.
That night Jesse picked out an ornament that said "Mom" and a similar one that said "brother" for his only sibling, J. T. Lewis, Heslin said. He then picked out a star-shaped ornament that said "teacher" and an apple ornament, both for Soto.
Neither Jesse nor his teacher lived to see Christmas. In the final moments of Jesse's life, investigators said he helped save his fellow classmates. When the killer stopped to reload his gun, Jesse sensing the delay, courageously yelled for his fellow students to "run!" Because Jesse yelled, "run," his classmates ran, and at least six of them got out safely. Jesse died a hero.
"To use your dying breath to try to save your friends is really remarkable and I'm very proud of him," Scarlett Lewis said.
Jesse will never be forgotten. A bell for Jesse will always ring at Christmas.