On March 11 the Forest Hills School District sent out an email announcing the “sudden death” of 17-year-old Jacob Suter.

Just seven days later, the district announced the sudden death of 15-year-old Ben Kimble.

Within days of one another, the two Turpin High School students died, both from apparent suicides.

Just last Saturday, Bill Suter said the final farewell to his son and delivered his eulogy.

"I never expected to need to prepare a eulogy for my son," he said. "But this experience has reminded us that life is precious and changes in moments. But please know that we are at peace with his decision."

Suter, a lieutenant with the Cincinnati Police Department, was away at an FBI National Academy for training when news of his son's death came. His wife, Angelic, was at a soccer game with their other children.

The first three days are the toughest, he said.

"We're in a pretty decent place right now," Suter said. "My wife, she said we need to focus on our other kids. We decided to work on that."

Jacob Suter, like his brothers, was a standout soccer player. He had straight As in school, plenty of friends and was an artist, Suter said in his eulogy. He also flew planes, served in the Civil Air patrol, enjoyed fishing, "albeit, we didn't do it often enough," he said.

Since the deaths, the Forest Hills School District has made counselors available to students and staff. Superintendent Scot Prebles encouraged parents to "talk with your child to ensure that they have extra attention, care, and support during this difficult time."

Therapy Pets paid the school a visit on March 15. A public Facebook post by Jane Spencer Pirman said more than 1,000 students stopped by the gym to visit with the pets.

Suter's aunt, Leann Walker Starks, shared his obituary online and spoke of the heartbreak for her family.

"Hug your children and loved ones, put down the devices, seriously stop and smell the roses tomorrow isn't promised," she wrote on a public Facebook post.

As news of the deaths spread, people reacted on social media.

A powerful and heartbreaking Facebook post appeared March 19 from Ben Kimble's father, Patrick Kimble.

“The last 24 hours has been the most trying of my life. But, my family has had the good fortune of friends, family, co-workers, and the local Turpin HS community to support us through this difficult time,” Kimble's post begins.

Kimble wrote about his son's many accomplishments. He was a Jr. Olympic swimmer at age 11, a state qualified wrestler by eighth grade (after just two seasons), and a top sprinter. His Nagel Middle School 200m relay team set a long-standing school record. But most of all, his son loved football.

“He had dreams of playing in college and assured his mom and I that he would take care of us later in life with his NFL career earnings. He was not modest about these goals, nor was he about his achievements in the gym.”

The father also spoke of his son’s “big heart.”

“He bonded with kids with special needs and he didn’t tolerate bullies,” Kimble wrote.

“As a parent, I was proud that he stood for many of the righteous traits we all aspire to. However, Ben also struggled with anxiety and depression,” Kimble shared in his post. “He fought to hide these things and squirrel them away like so many other things (he was a pack rat)."

The post continues and talks about the challenges of the weeks ahead.

“I’m not certain how to properly grieve, and I’m sure you are at a loss of words to share with me. But, I’ll make it through because of and for my family,” he wrote.

Kimble concluded his post by encouraging people to take time to speak with their children and their children’s friends and other young people.

“Be available and hug them. Suicide is a leading cause of death for children and everyone needs to know they are loved, we are all imperfect people,” he wrote.

According to the Stanford Children's Health website, suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15- to 24-year-olds. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, reliable scientific research has found the following:

There are 25 attempted suicides to one completed suicide — with the ratio even higher in youth.

The strongest risk factors for attempted suicide in youth are depression, substance abuse, and aggressive or disruptive behaviors.

If you know someone in crisis, you can call toll-free the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Services for Ben Kimble are at Horizon Community Church in Newtown, which also handled services for Suter. Visitation for Kimble begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 23 with service following at noon.

Funeral arrangements for Kimble are by T.P. White & Sons. They also handled Suter's arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the Kimble family has set up the Ben Kimble Memorial Fund. You can make donations at any Fifth Third Bank location.

Suter's family requested that memorials be made to:

Turpin Soccer, 2650 Bartels, Road, Cincinnati 45244, Attn: Turpin Athletics Booster Club, specify the gift is for boys soccer in memory of Jacob Suter;

1N5.org

The Horizon Community Church in Newtown.

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