Comments on: Nelson Without Opal Page : 5.13.09

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:00:14 +0000

RIP MRS. PAGE

By: nelson neighbor

nelson neighbor — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:00:23 +0000

This is a much better message board with a realistic common sense attitude. A bright side for this whole situation! There are a lot of helpless emotional people at the court house right now my heart goes out to them all……….

By: John

John — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:23:10 +0000

Tommy, your sensitivity is remarkable, generously giving credit to all around you… and all the while providing a vehicle for those who love Mrs Page and Nelson to express and process our feelings. You have gotten the balance you sought just right.

By: Elia

Elia — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:34:31 +0000

This is tragic to have happened in Nelson. What is more tragic is that 2 young men decided to throw away their lives. It is not acceptable what they did and by no means am I defending what they did but having known of these two guys and hearing things about town until parents take responsibility of their children and teach some values and morales and to have a conscience about life these things continue to happen.And this is not to blame the parents of the guys. This is to say that you are a product of your environment. This is the one big incident that has happened. There are more situations that go on in Nelson than the average person thinks. Only the ones that happen in such a tragedy as this are brought to light or even thought upon. Hopefully this woman (whom I did not know) will not have died in vain. Have her death be a wake up call. I work in a prison and see this type of stuff all the time. The world is changing. And Nelson is changing with it. And changing fast. A wonderful lady lost her life. Very tragic. Someone who touched alot of peoples lives. Know that injustices can touch anyone.

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:24:19 +0000

What a wonderful write up. I knew Mrs. Page from the time my daughter was 5 and in kindergarten at Rockfish until the present. Mrs. Page was a member of my mother’s church, and you couldn’t find a more caring and giving person. Whether we would see her at church functions such as the Harvest Sale, or helping in the kitchen when the Church was making apple butter or canning fruits and vegetables for the Harvest Sale, she always had a smile on her face and made time to speak to everyone she would see. Nelson County and Rodes Methodist Church have lost a wonderful member of their community. She will be missed greatly by everyone who knew her. I also want to thank Sheriff Brooks and his department along with the other law enforcement agencies for catching these suspects as quickly as they did. Our hearts and prayers go out to Mrs. Page’s family and friends for this tragic loss.

By: JESSIE

JESSIE — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:07:11 +0000

GREAT WRITE-UP THANK YOU

TODAY WE LEARNED OF YOUR DEATH
TODAY WE ALL CRIED AND FELT SORROW
TODAY WE WONDERED WHY YOU
TODAY WE MORON FOR YOU
TODAY WE LEARNED JUST HOW MUCH YOU WAS LOVED

NOW THAT TODAY HAS MOVED ON WE STILL ASK OURSELVES THE SAME QUESTIONS
BUT THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS MORE CLEAR TODAY
THAT THE LORD NEEDED YOU EVEN MORE, HE HAS MANY CHILDREN FOR YOU TO TEACH UP IN HEAVEN
AND MANY MORE FOR YOU TO BE A GURDON ANGLE TO HERE ON EARTH WE KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE GUIDING THEM IN SOME WAY FROM YOUR HOME IN HEAVEN
WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE MOMENT THAT YOU WAS HURT YOU FORGAVE THE ONES WHO DONE THIS TO YOU, THAT IS THE PERSON THAT YOU WHERE
NOW IF WE CAN ALL REMEMBER HOW YOU WERE THAN MAYBE WE CAN FORGIVE AND MAKE OUR LIVES MEAN AS MUCH AS YOUR DID
FOR THOSE WHO ARE JUDGING THE PARENTS OF THE YOUNG MEN WHO DID THIS AWFUL CRIME
YOU REALLY DON’T KNOW HOW THE PARENTS RAISED THERE CHILDREN YOU WERE NOT IN THE HOME OF THESE CHILDREN AND WE SHOULD NOT JUDGE THE PARENTS FOR SOMETHING THEY HAD NO CONTROL OVER – THINK OF THAT WHEN YOUR CHILD DOES SOMETHING WRONG
THERE IS LITTLE ROOM TO JUDGE OTHERS FOR WE ALL ARE SINNERS AT SOME POINT IN OUR LIVE – WE HAVE DONE THING WE ARE NOT TO PROUD OF, IT IS UP TO GOD TO JUDGE AT JUDGMENT DAY.

By: Martha

Martha — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:30:04 +0000

Wonderful write up. I live in Fluvanna and am from Amherst County. There are sad people all over about this. Its hard to think this could happen in beautiful Nelson County to someone so well thought of and respected. I too know and have known people as she was described. My mother for one who is 83 and lives alone. Our hearts and thoughts go out to all of Nelson County.

By: Millie Steele

Millie Steele — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:29:28 +0000

What a thoughtful piece you have written, Tommy. My husband and I love Nelson Country Life and appreciate the sensitive way you all handled this situation. We lived in Northern Virginia for over 25 years and one might think we would become jaded to these events. But something awful happened in our lives as well when Ms Page was so brutally murdered. This peaceful, beautiful place we live in suddenly was shattered with horror that something like this happened here. We are “transplants” like yourself but we have come to feel so at home here as if we had lived here much longer. The people of Nelson County are friendly, honest, hard-working, salt of the earth people and we feel like family here. And we feel we have lost a member of our family. Our hearts go out to the Page family.

By: Helene Dodge

Helene Dodge — Wed, 13 May 2009 11:38:35 +0000

Thank you, Sheriff Brooks and everyone at the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office and those who assisted from Augusta, and thank you, Tommy, for saying it so well.

By: Ron

Ron — Wed, 13 May 2009 11:15:56 +0000

Well said. Bad things do happen to good (or great) people. The important thing is that the good people of Nelson County continue to care for each other, watch out for each other, and work for the best. We can’t just look the other way and say that it doesn’t affect me, because it does.

By: Homer Barnswallow

Homer Barnswallow — Wed, 13 May 2009 10:46:24 +0000

Eloquent write-up, Tommy. If you stay in Nelson long enough, you will find a common thread that binds us all. Yes, we are all struck by this tragedy. Thank you for the excellent coverage.
You have, perhaps unknowingly, provided one of the best therapies a community could ask for in a case such as this: providing an avenue for citizens to express their feelings, as you say, from “civil” to “vulgar”. Not to mention all of the editorial review that must go into spontaneous comments on the open airwaves, it simply took guts on your part to make that option available. When something as incomprehensible as this happens, sometimes the only solace to be found is in written expression. Thank you for your contributions in covering this tragedy.

By: Sarah Ponton

Sarah Ponton — Wed, 13 May 2009 09:58:41 +0000

I agree. You verbalized quite eloquently what most of us, I believe, are feeling. I didn’t know her either but I teach high school, where many of my students remembered her from kindergarten with fondness and profound sadness as they followed the story. One student in my class (who knew her ) said yesterday, “If the people (suspects) even knew how she was and asked her for money, she would have just given it to them. That’s how she was.” This statement hammering home what a senseless crime this was.

By: Milly Colella

Milly Colella — Wed, 13 May 2009 09:18:44 +0000

Very nice write up Tommy. I didn’t know Opal either but heard many wonderful comments about her and know how sad the locals are. I also commend the sheriff and police dept for the wonderful job they did. I’m glad it’s over but for all her friend and relatives it will linger on for many years.