Photo Provided Buckeye Local Jr./Sr. High School leaders and Randall Gallagher Memorials of Bridgeport helped family members of U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kristopher Klubert erect a marble bench as a lasting tribute to the school alumnus and athlete who died in 2013. Pictured, from left, are Buckeye Local Jr. High School Principal Jason Kovalski, who also previously taught Klubert, mother Valerie Klubert, Randall Gallagher Memorials operator Justin Gallagher and BLHS Principal Luke Parsons.

RAYLAND- U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kristopher Klubert spent his formative years at Buckeye Local High School, and now his family is paying tribute with a bench in his honor on campus.

Kris, the son of Kevin and Valerie Klubert of Yorkville, was killed while serving in the military 12 years ago. His mother joined school leaders and Justin Gallagher, operator of Randall Gallagher Memorials of St. Clairsville, to place the bench near the front entrance of the high school building on July 16. The black marble seating features Kris’s name and graduation date and is emblazoned with U.S. Navy, fire and police emblems in recognition of his military and public service.

He had attended BLHS through grades 7-12 and was active in sports, playing football during his freshman year and took part in wrestling and track for four years each. Kris’s mother said he loved Buckeye Local and she was inspired to honor him with the bench project.

“He thrived at Buckeye Local,” Valerie said. “He loved it there and he had friends there. He was happy to be at Buckeye.”

Kris went on to study at the police academy at Eastern Gateway Community College and seek a degree in criminal justice from Belmont College with hopes of becoming a police officer, but he joined several friends and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. Although he scored very high on the preliminary test, he opted to join the Navy and serve as a gunner’s mate. However, he still remained active in his community and would work on Sundays for the Yorkville Police Department when he was home on leave.

Kris was stationed in Norfolk, Va., and was days away from deployment to Syria when he died on March 9, 2013. His tragic death brought a multitude of community members, safety forces and military officials to his funeral with some attendants from as far as East Liverpool, New Martinsville and Columbus, while his pallbearers included military members, firefighters and police officers. It was only recently that Valerie decided to purchase the bench as an everlasting tribute to her son and said school leaders and Randall Gallagher Memorials were more than willing to assist with the endeavor.

Valerie was thankful to Superintendent Coy Sudvary, high school Principal Luke Parsons and BLJHS Principal Jason Kovalski for their support and noted that Gallagher Memorials operator Justin Gallagher was equally involved throughout the process. The idea formed after she viewed several memorial benches at the school campus.

“I had seen the other benches and he loved Buckeye Local. Being in Buckeye Local’s district, it had to go there because it was his stomping ground,” she explained.

She would reach out to Sudvary, who then put her in contact with Kovalski–who incidentally had been Kris’s former teacher at St. Mary’s Central School–and Parsons. Valerie also commissioned Gallagher to create the marble bench and said it captured her son’s dedication to service. Kris had also followed family footsteps and joined the Yorkville Volunteer Fire Department where his father was fire chief and both his mother and elder brother J.J. had been firefighter/EMT’s. The bench is located in a corner near the commons, which she jokingly said he would have enjoyed in light of his mischievous antics as a youth, while his photo is proudly displayed from his sporting days inside the building.

“If it was anywhere, that’s where he would want it. It’s where he was meant to be,” she said. “Where better than Buckeye Local because it was his second home.”

She noted that Kris had just re-enlisted and intended to transfer to San Diego, Calif., following his deployment, then retire after 20 years in the military and possibly enter a career where he could work with his hands. But he never got that chance, and instead he remains forever young and remembered by those who loved him.

“He was content in the Navy; he’d found his own corner of the world. When he made master chief, they said he would have been one of the youngest,” Valerie added. “Kristopher was honored during his 10-year class reunion, and on the 10th anniversary of his death we held a picnic at the park and the fire department had a parade. He would have been 36, but he’s forever 24.”

Valerie was grateful to Buckeye Local officials for their support and to Randall Gallagher Memorials for their work on the project.

“Buckeye Local hasn’t forgotten him. Even 12 ½ years later he’s remembered,” she commented. “They were more than willing to help and Coy was principal at the time Kris died. They were wonderful. He would have liked it at the high school. He’d be proud of that.”

Buckeye Local leaders were equally honored to be part of the project.

“We are very appreciative of the Klubert family providing a lasting memorial bench for Kris,” said Sudvary. “Kris was an unforgettable student who left a lasting impression on everyone he met. His life was cut tragically short, but memories of him will last forever. Thank you to the Klubert family for the bench donation.”

“There are moments in education that make you doubt everything, then there are moments like this that remind you that the work educators do matter more than you realize,” said Parsons. “Kristopher found a home at Buckeye Local and it was an honor to know him and an honor to be a part of this for his family.”

“Kristopher was one of my fifth-grade students my first year of full-time teaching. Kris was quite a challenge but always special to me. At the end of his fifth-grade year, I received a card from Valerie and Kris thanking me for helping him to have such a great year,” Kovalski concluded. “I still have that card 27 years later. I always kept in touch with Kris and his family, and his untimely death struck everyone that was close with him. After his death, I still kept in touch with his family. Back in January, Valerie reached out to me about placing a bench at the school in Kristopher’s memory and I thought it was a wonderful idea. I am grateful that Valerie and Kevin allowed me to be a part of the project from start to finish.

“In my heart and mind, Kris will always be that ornery little fifth-grader. The bench allows his memory to continue for generations of students going through Buckeye Local Junior and Senior High.”