Friends and family of John Erlanson gather to share stories and hugs at Atascadero High School’s gym Wednesday afternoon. A memorial service was held for the student who drowned last week during a physical education class.
John Erlanson loved crafting prose. “Love is the greatest power; it’s with us every hour,” he once wrote.
Those lines resonated among more than 200 of Erlanson’s family members and friends who attended a nearly two-hour memorial service at Atascadero High School on Wednesday afternoon.
Erlanson — a 17-year-old student at the high school — died May 7 when he drowned in the campus pool. School officials continue to investigate how the drowning occurred during a physical education class.
Students, teachers and school staffers and officials, as well as other mourners, packed a side of the school gym, many of them wearing shirts that read “Good Morning”— a catchphrase Erlanson used to greet people throughout the day.
Balloons and flowers were scattered throughout the dimly lit gym and neatly arranged around some of Erlanson’s poetry and prose.
Family members and a friend shared stories and read Scripture from the book of John in the New Testament. And Erlanson’s friend, Josh Handy, sang a song the pair cowrote.
“We hope this celebration will provide healing for students, faculty and staff,” Erlanson’s mother, Doris, said to the crowd. “Bless you, John. Have fun continuing life and bringing joy to the world.”
A photo slide show spanning Erlanson’s life showed his mother carrying him as newborn, family outings and Christmas portraits.
Dozens of family members and friends, including Erlanson’s third-grade teacher, also shared stories of the teen’s quirky attitude or kindness toward anyone he met, while his family of five sat together in the front row.
“This was the most healing thing for our family,” said Erlanson’s sister, Casey.
The family suggested that donations be made in Erlanson’s name to the charity Loaves & Fishes, an Atascadero-based group that pools local churches’ efforts to feed the poor and hungry in the North County.
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