CourtesyStephen Anderson
A funeral will be held Saturday for one of the Carson City teenagers who died in a diving accident last weekend in Monterey, Calif.
The service for Stephen James Anderson, 16, will be 10 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saliman Road next to Carson High School.
Stephen, a Carson High junior, would have celebrated his 17th birthday on May 5.
He and his best friend Keegan Aiazzi, 17, died Saturday while scuba diving in the Monterey Bay with classmates. The cause of the accident is under investigation by the Monterey County Sheriff's Department and the United States Coast Guard.
Their deaths have sent shock waves through the city's only high school where both Stephen and Keegan were members of the football team. An outpouring of support from students and the community has translated to more than 2,000 members on a Facebook page set up in their honor.
Scores of messages of love and support have been posted by people who knew the boys and others who were only touched by their story. Even messages of condolence have come from Carson's longtime sports rival Douglas High School when a banner that read, "DHS supports CHS" was delivered to the school on Monday.
Monday night "C" Hill in the heart of Carson City became an homage to the duo after classmates trekked the steep hillside and adorned the C with a heart and the letters S and K.
Chris Anderson said the family hopes to also honor their youngest child with a memorial fund that has been set up in his son's name.
"This will be something that benefits in some way or shape somebody at the high school. It will benefit Carson High School," said Anderson, who along with his wife Thea and daughter Sara are finding comfort in the outpouring of support for the boys.
The service is open to the public, said Chris Anderson. Arrangements have not yet been released for Keegan's service.
Along with his parents and sister, Stephen is survived by his grandparents Jim and Jan Anderson and numerous aunts and uncles. He was preceded in death by his grandparents Wes and Aileen Schlager, his uncles Pat Schlager and Joe Schlager and his cousin Megan Anderson.
Chris Anderson said Keegan and Stephen learned to scuba dive together. He and his wife had accompanied the boys on the trip to Monterey.
"The last thing I said to them before they got on the boat was, 'Now you guys, stick together.' And they did," he said.