NEW CASTLE COURIER TIMES STORY ON SCOTT ZUBOWSKI

Losing one of our own

By Darrel Radford dradford@thecouriertimes.com Tuesday, November 15, 2005 10:52 AM CST

Sunnyside Elementary School teacher Kathryn Hayes struggled with her emotions Monday afternoon as she pulled out a picture drawn by Scott Zubowski when he was a sixth-grader.The drawing showed a trio of Viking ships going into battle. It was an early indication of what the youngster wanted to do with his life.


But as teachers remembered this fallen soldier, they said his personality was in stark contrast to the horrors he bravely faced in Iraq."He was kind, quiet and cooperative," Hayes said.
"He was quiet and polite, just a model student," Sunnyside Elementary School Principal Linda Kinnett said. "He was a good role model for all students."Zubowski, a son of New Castle resident Barbara Weitzel, was killed when the vehicle he was riding hit a roadside bomb Saturday in Iraq. It was perhaps the first Henry County military death since the Vietnam War.

Zubowski attended both Greenstreet and Sunnyside elementary schools. June Rogers, a veteran teacher at Greenstreet, also remembered Scott."He was very respectful and hard working, a nice young man," she said.

When he was a junior high school student, Zubowski moved to North Manchester with his father, Richard Zubowski, who still resides there."That's where he met his future wife," Mrs. Weitzel said of her son.Zubowski married Klancey Eberly on Dec. 18th."He was happily married, absolutely in love with this amazing woman," said Kaycie E. Zubowski, Scott's sister-in-law and daughter of New Castle residents Eugene and Carolyn Keith. "She made him whole. Klancey is one of the most amazing people I know, and we're all with her in this horrible time."

According to military reports, Zubowski, a lance corporal, was a rear passenger in a multi-purpose military vehicle when it was struck by a bomb. He was one of two soldiers killed in the attack.

Sunnyside Elementary School teacher Mary Jane Dye echoed the sentiments others had about Zubowski."He was very bright," Dye said. "He was really a great team player. He didn't demand a lot of attention for himself. He was just a really good kid and well respected by his classmates."Both Hayes and Dye said that the tragedy has made the all-too-common Iraq war news terribly pertinent now."Especially as a mom with two teen-age boys," Hayes said. "It really hits home.""We almost become a little desensitized to it," Dye added. "Now it's one of our own."

Funeral plans are being made for Zubowski in North Manchester, but a memorial service will be held here at a later date.