Hero’s request
‘If I die in a school shooting. . .’
The Long Island-born teacher who died saving his students last week in Florida once gave his fiancée specific instructions for his funeral in case he ever died in a school shooting.
Hero teacher Scott Beigel’s weeping fiancée, Gwen, recalled at his funeral Sunday that they were watching coverage of a school shooting on TV recently and he said, “Promise me if this ever happens to me, you will tell them the truth — tell them what a jerk I am, don’t talk about the hero stuff.”
“OK, Scott, I did what you asked,’’ the tearful woman told the solemn crowd at Temple Beth El in Boca Raton, Fla. “Now I can tell the truth. You are an amazingly special person. You are my first love and my soulmate.’’
Beigel was one of 17 people killed in the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS on Wednesday and among three laid to rest Sunday. The two others who were buried were 14-yearold students Alex Schacter and Jaime Guttenberg.
Beigel, a 35-year-old geography teacher, had unlocked his classroom to let in students during the mayhem — then got hit by a bullet while trying to lock the door again to keep the killer out.
Beigel made the ultimate sacrifice for his students, according to Sam Zeif, whose brother Matt escaped the rain of bullets when Beigel opened the door for him.
“Being here today doesn’t seem enough, for what he sacrificed for our families,” Sam said. “He was such a great guy.”
Beigel’s maternal uncle, Mark Peters, responded to reports that the FBI had received tips about Cruz that it failed to follow up on, calling out the “epic failure of law-enforcement agencies — especially at the top — that are responsible for the loss of these 17 lives.’’
Beigel grew up in Dix Hills, LI, before attending the University of Miami for college, according to his obituary in the Florida Sun Sentinel.
He also coached the Stoneman Douglas crosscountry team and was a counsellor during the summer at Camp Starlight in Pennsylvania.