Aaron Feis, 37, was killed on February 14 as he protected students at the Parkland high school massacre
Grieving teenager football players wore their jerseys on Thursday to the funeral of their hero coach who died saving students at the Parkland high school massacre.
Coach Aaron Feis, 37, died while acting as a human shield by lying on top of students at Stoneman Douglas High School while gunman Aaron Cruz was killed.
He was among three adults who died trying to protect the youngsters. Fourteen students were also slain.
On Thursday, mourners turned out en masse to attend Feis’s funeral service in Coral Springs.
He was a former student of the school and had been teaching there for eight years.
Among the mourners was his a student who said he had become a father figure to him.
‘His time was infinite when it came to students and athletes,’ Brandon Corona said.
Feis’s friend Joe LaGuardia said he knew instinctively that he would have been trying to save lives when he heard about the shooting.
Teenagers wore their football jerseys to Feis’s funeral in Coral Springs, Florida, on Thursday morning
Former students and police officers also attended the service where Feis was eulogized as ‘one of the greatest people’ they all knew
Teenagers acted as pallbearers at the ceremony and bravely carried Feis’s body out to the hearse after the service
Other youngsters from the Coral Glades Jaguars wore their jerseys to the funeral
The hearse which carried Feis’s casket is pictured making its way to the cemetery where he was buried after the service
A fire truck attached an enormous American flag to its ladder and lowered it to fly over Feis as he was driven away in the hearse
‘There wasn’t a question in my mind that after I finished Ash Wednesday service I had to go and check out Aaron’s Facebook page or get ahold of the family because I know that Aaron would be running to save lives, I just knew it.’
‘He was one of the greatest people I know.
‘I knew that the inspiration that his family and his wife gave him was the strength that allowed him to make a decision in split second in order to give his life over to his students in order to save them, even if it was only three students or a half dozen students.
‘That was the Aaron I know,’ he said.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel was among those who spoke at the service.
He knew Feis before tragedy struck the school last week and remarked on how every football coach kept him on as an assistant.
A group of young mourners leave the church in Coral Springs after the service on Thursday
There was a large turnout for the funeral which is the latest of the victims from last week’s shooting. All are expected to be finished by the end of the week
Some of the students wore ties beneath their Eagles jerseys. Others found comfort in one another and were able to smile through the morbid occasion
Mourners carried flowers out of the service on Thursday. The congregation was a blended mix of teenagers and adults
There was a large police presence at the service, as there has been at all of those of the shooting victims
Mourners hug outside the church after the funeral of Aaron Feis on Thursday in Coral Springs, Florida
‘Everybody wanted him. He was the connection to the kids. Kids would do more for Feis than others.
‘Why? Because they didn’t want to let Feis down.
‘Before you even heard how he died, you knew he died putting himself in harms’ way to save others,’ he said.
Earlier this week, the Miami Dolphins presented Feis’s family with a cheque for $17,500.
He knew one of the people on the team and all were impressed with how he gave his life to save the children he was looking after.
Millions have poured in to GoFundMe pages set up by officials to pay for the funerals and benefit the victims’ families.
The money will also be used on counseling for surviving students and teachers.
Last week’s shooting reignited the national debate on gun control and has given way to a wave of protests.
Feis (left while teaching and right with his young daughter) was a former student of the school and had taught there for eight years
PICTURED: Fourteen students, geography teacher, coach and athletic director shot dead in Florida high school massacre
Jaime Guttenberg, 14, (left) was described by relatives as a ‘kind-hearted, sweet’ girl. She attended the school with her younger brother who survived and rushed home afterwards. Senior Nicholas Dworet (right) was a gifted swimmer who had his sights set on 2020 Tokyo Olympics success. His devastated college student girlfriend is among those grieving his death. Friends said he was not just a talented athlete, but a ‘good guy’ who will be missed
Martin Duque, 14, (left) was missing for hours on Wednesday and his frantic family desperately appealed for him to get in touch on social media. On Thursday, his older brother Miguel confirmed his death. Martin was a freshman. Meadow Pollack, 18, (right) was preparing for college. Her father was at the school on Wednesday and showed her photograph around in the hope that she would be found alive
Cara Loughran (left) was missing on Wednesday afternoon. Her mother Denise and her father rushed to the designated hotel where parents were told to go to be reunited with their children in the hope that she would be found alive. Her grieving neighbor confirmed her death on Thursday. Alyssa Alhadeff, 15, (right) was eulogized by her mother who said she was a talented soccer player and creative mind. ‘All she had to offer the world was love… I just sent her to school and she was shot and killed,’ she said
Luke Hoyer, 15, (left) was described as a ‘precious’ child by his grandparents who confirmed his death. They found out about the shooting on television. They said he was a ‘good kid’ who ‘never got in trouble’. Joaquin Oliver, 17, (right) was also killed. Joaquin was a Venezuelan immigrant who came to the US with his family for a ‘better future’, they said on Thursday
Gina Montalto, 15, (left) was described as a ‘light and joy’. She and Jaime, another victim, volunteered at a local project called The Friendship Initiative where they acted as buddies for children with special needs. Gina’s mother Jennifer shared pleas to find her on social media on Wednesday. Alaina Petty, 14, (right) was also killed. Her Mormon church confirmed her death, saying she was a ‘valiant’ member
Carmen Schentrup, 16, (left) was also killed in the shooting. Carmen was a gifted student who last year was named as a semifinalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. It includes students who score above average in their SATs or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. ROTC student Peter Wang, 15, (right) also died. His parents speak little English and relied on their neighbor to post social media appeals looking for him. They went to the Marriott hotel with other parents to wait for news of him on Wednesday night and have since confirmed that he was among those killed
Alex Schachter, 14, (left) was also killed. His mother died when he was a child and he attended the school in Florida with his brother, who survived. The teenager’s father Max said he was a ‘sweetheart of a child’ who ‘just wanted to do well and please his parents’. Helena Ramsey, 17, (right) was described by relatives as a ‘reserved’ and studious girl who was due to go to college next year
Geography Scott Beigel, 35, (left) was shot dead as he tried to lock the door of his classroom again after letting a group of fleeing students in to hide. They were running away from the gunman. Aaron Feis, 37, (right) died acting as a human shield. The track coach had thrown himself on top of the kids to stop the bullets from hitting him. He was a former student and was also a security guard at the school where he had worked for eight years
Athletic director Chris Hixon, 49, was also killed shielding students