Hundreds honor lost sky divers

SNOHOMISH -- Some would say the sky divers and their pilot died doing what they loved when their plane crashed into the Cascades Oct. 7.

Nancy Kibler, the mother of pilot Phil Kibler, disagreed.

"They didn't die doing what they loved. They lived doing what they loved," she said.

On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in the Snohomish High School gym to remember the group. On T-shirts, the memorial program and a Web site, they are known simply as "Our 10."

They were Kibler, 47, of Snohomish; Cecil Elsner, 20, of Lake Stevens; Landon Atkin, 20, of Snohomish; Bryan Jones, 34, of Redmond; Andrew Smith, 20, of Lake Stevens; Jeff Ross, 28, of Snohomish; Hollie Rasberry, 24, of Bellingham; Michelle Barker, 22, of Kirkland; Casey Craig, 30, of Bothell; and Ralph Abdo, 27, of Issaquah.

"Today, we celebrate and honor them," said Elaine Harvey, manager of Skydive Snoho­mish at Harvey Field. "Each one brought something unique and brilliant to the world as we knew it."

Their plane was ferrying the sky divers between Idaho and Washington after a weekend of jumping with other groups.

Investigators believe the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan encountered clouds and windy weather as it flew over the Cascades about 50 miles west of Yakima. Flying at 14,000 feet, the plane suddenly made a tight turn, lost about 1,400 feet of altitude and then briefly leveled out before falling from the sky, investigators said.

It was the deadliest airplane crash in the country so far this year.

At Saturday's service, people arrived carrying cards and flowers. There were some tears, but more often laughter, as family and friends took turns talking about their loved ones. A moment of silence was observed in honor of each before discussion moved on to the next.

Nadim Abdo talked about how his brother, Ralph Abdo, loved extreme sports such as sky diving and windsurfing. Ralph embodied energy, Nadim said. He didn't like sitting inside; he was always outside, making noise, Nadim said.

"We're all in this together, and we'll get through this," he said.

Kelly Barker talked about how her sister, Michelle Barker, would pick on her when they were children. However, as they grew up, they grew closer.

"She was my best friend, and we would tell each other everything. We've had many good memories," Kelly Barker said. "Throughout this whole thing, I've spent more time laughing about everything she's done, rather than crying about it."

Casey Craig will be remembered for his many talents, including sky diving, cooking and craftsmanship, said Kelly Craig, his brother. When Casey bought a house, he built an outdoor bar and fire pit so he could host parties for friends and family.

"Casey would have loved nothing more than to have a family of his own," Kelly Craig said.

Cecil Elsner was an "amazing young man, sometimes wise beyond his years and sometimes as silly as a little kid," his mom, Jan Elsner said. He was smart, curious and thoughtful, and he loved sky diving. His family admired the path he chose for himself.

"We gave him life, and he never lost sight of the life given to him," his mom said.

Bryan Jones was the quiet man of the bunch. Roman Deeds, who was Jones' roommate, said Jones was a man of honor and integrity who liked to do things right the first time.

Strangely, in all the time they knew each other, Deeds and Jones never exchanged gifts on birthdays or holidays. Through Jones' life, Deeds learned the best gifts aren't material items.

"It's the time you spend, the heart you give and investing in people, not in things," Deeds said.

Mike Lambert, a pilot at Skydive Snohomish, talked about how Phil Kibler left a promising career in microbiology research to pursue a life in the cockpit. When Kibler applied for a piloting job at Skydive Snohomish, Lambert asked him to describe his dream job as a pilot.

Kibler replied that he didn't want to get rich -- he just wanted to fly fun airplanes, experience each day differently and meet interesting people.

"That was a pretty honest answer about what his dream of flying was," Lambert said.

Hollie Rasberry's sister, Jaima Ritchey, read from an old essay her sister wrote for school. In the essay, Hollie talked about the beauty of the world from 10,000 feet up, and about how going up in a jump plane was like climbing "a ladder to heaven."

She loved snowboarding, backpacking and thunderstorms, and she was always smiling, her father, Mitch Rasberry said.

"There was something to be learned from Hollie," he said. "She was the smile at the drop zone who brought everyone together."

Jeff Ross lived in a trailer near his friend, Jordan McElderry, who lived in a van. Ross, Kibler and a few others once banded together and wrapped McElderry's van in plastic while he was sleeping inside.

Although Ross loved having fun, he also acted like an adult, said his sister, Christina Graves. When he was young, he looked out for his three siblings and got a job delivering newspapers when he was 11. He served six years in the Navy and discovered his passion for sky diving about a year ago.

"Jeff was a very special person, and we were all lucky to have him here," Graves said.

Taisha Atkin, Landon Atkin's sister, said her brother loved his family. He would kiss his mom before leaving at night, go out to dinner with his father and stay up late with Taisha just to chat. He also had a silly side. Once he dyed his hair black in an Albertsons bathroom because he didn't want to make a mess at home, Taisha Atkin said.

She described her brother as outgoing and fearless.

"Those are things that are true about everyone on that plane," she said. "The timid of heart do not become sky divers."

Andy Smith was born to fly, his family said. When he was 4, he found a helmet and goggles, put them on and pretended to be a pilot. He loved rockets and science, and he also enjoyed rafting and dirt biking. Later, he embraced sky diving.

His mother, Louise Smith, saw an eagle when she and other family members gathered at the site of the plane crash. It reminded her of her son, an Eagle Scout.

"In the last year, he never seemed happier," said his father, Gary Smith. "He loved his job, he loved his girlfriend, he loved flying through the air like an autumn leaf.

"When the leaves turn, I think we'll all remember Our 10," Smith said.



Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.