St. Joseph High School mourns the loss of Joshua and Beverly Ditsch

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - A heartbreaking start to the second week of school at St. Joseph High School in South Bend as they mourn the loss of their own.

"I can't even fathom what it must be like for those young people to be walking into school today and knowing somebody they’ve been going to school with is no longer there,” said Stephanie Kohler Pagan with Lory’s Place in St. Joe Michigan as she gave her advice for grieving children and families.

“You know the grief journey doesn’t end. You figure out how to move forward with hope...to return to normal without that important person in our lives, but it takes time and effort,” she added.

Senior Beverly Ditsch lost her life this Friday along with her Father Joshua Ditsch after colliding with a FedEx truck on Austen Road.

The school held a prayer service to begin the year in their memory and offered counseling from within.

The grief isn’t just impacting students the entire community is remembering the student who was a member of the national honor society, and German exchange program, as a “beacon of joy and hope who was passionate about the beating of life and enjoyed painting, singing, and dreamed of becoming a pediatric nurse.

Her father as happiest when he was bringing a smile to someone’s face or serving others. A humorous, Notre Dame fan, and an amazing father and husband as written in their obituaries.

View the full obituaries for Joshua Ditsch and Beverly Ditsch.

The family is asking for support on Go Fund Me.