West Virginia Catholic high school mourns loss of two seniors

Published: 2005-05-31

MCMECHEN, W.Va. (CNS) -- Two seats were empty at the May 24 graduation ceremony at Bishop Donahue High School in McMechen in memory of two beloved seniors. The white-draped chairs stood vacant for Danielle Marie Block and JoBeth Marie Gross, both 18, who died in a May 21 plane crash on Coney Island, N.Y., just days before their graduation. Also killed in the crash were Danielle's father, 39-year-old Courtney Block, and the pilot, 32-year-old Endrew Allen of the New York City borough of Queens. Courtney Block and his wife, Jodi, and the girls were in New York visiting Marist Brother Dan O'Riordan, who had previously served as a teacher at Bishop Donahue for many years. Also on the trip was Melissa McCulley, a close friend of the girls and fellow senior. McCulley was originally in the plane with her friends when it first took off; however, the pilot returned to the airport to let her out after she became ill. Courtney Block then got in with his daughter and Gross. The single-engine Cessna crashed on the beach at Coney Island shortly after the second takeoff.

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