Garden commemorating Oxford High School shooting victim unveiled
(CBS DETROIT) - A victim in the Oxford High School shooting was forever memorialized at a trail in Oakland County over the weekend.
"He's proud. I know he's very proud," says Jill Soave, the mother of Justin Shilling.
Soave coordinated "Justin's Nature Walk" along the Polly Ann Trail, where she welcomed community members to walk down a trail her son loved and introduced the newest garden in Oxford.
"It's mixed emotions. It's definitely a feeling of joy and celebration seeing all the love. Justin is not forgotten, but it's a mixed emotion because he's also not here with us," Soave said.
A pollinator garden in its infancy stages was unveiled alongside a boulder in the center of it reading "In Honor of Justin Shilling."
Soave unveiled the boulder during a brief ceremony, which was followed by the placement of smaller, decorated rocks around it by community members and loved ones.
It concluded with a walk down the trail, with everyone wearing "Justin's Nature Walk" shirts.
"We don't forget the tragedy that did happen, but we just move on the best that we can. Planting trees in his honor, gardens in his honor, to keep his legacy alive, to come together," says Soave.