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    • Boy killed by falling tree in Howell, identified as Declan Carter, 12
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    Boy killed by falling tree in Howell, identified as Declan Carter, 12

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

    NOTRHVILLE – The 12-year-old boy who was tragically killed by a falling tree at Howell Nature Center has been identified as Declan Carter of Northville in a letter posted on social media.

    Carter, a sixth-grader at Our Lady of Victory School and son of Northville City Councilman John Carter, was on an overnight trip to the nature center with classmates when the dead tree reportedly fell on him.

    He was flown to University of Michigan Mott’s Children Hospital, where he died Thursday evening.

    Northville Mayor Brian Turnbull posted a letter on the city’s social media page Friday morning “with a heavy heart.”

    “Everyone did what they could for Declan, but his energetic life was suddenly interrupted,” Turnbull wrote in the letter. “I had the pleasure of meeting Declan as I often visited him and his sister Georgia outside their house, especially for a lemonade on hot summer afternoons. He had great academic, athletic (as one of the best runners in the area) and social potential as part of the fabric and DNA of Northville.”

    Turnbull said the Carter family also includes Declan’s mother Liz Carter and his sisters Georgia and Ainsley.

    “It is up to us to keep Declan’s spirit and memory alive in our hearts and to always have the Carter family in our prayers from this day forward,” Turnbull wrote. “All of our appointed and elected employees in Northville are like family. The loss is felt by everyone and the rest of our close-knit community.”

    Turnbull said he has petitioned the governor’s office to allow the city to place a flag at half-staff at City Hall in memory of Declan Carter and asked others to do the same.

    “Northvillians, I urge you to come together to support the Carter family and I encourage you to hug everyone close to you today…life is precious,” he wrote in his letter.

    Classes at Our Lady of Victory, a Catholic elementary school near downtown Northville, were canceled Friday, and all school sporting events were also canceled for the weekend of Sept. 27-29.

    In a message to families, Principal Kate Szuba said students should plan to return to school on Monday, September 30.

    “Given the tragic loss of a student, we want to ensure a supportive environment for our students on Monday,” Szuba said in the email, noting that counselors will be on-site for students who need support. “Our current plan is to have classes on Monday.”

    Szuba said staff plans to adapt the academic day to meet student needs.

    “We were told that routine and familiarity are best for everyone,” she wrote.

    Although plans have not yet been finalized, Szuba also said school would be canceled on the day of Declan Carter’s funeral so that students and staff could attend services.

    Contact reporter Laura Colvin at [email protected].

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    Caradoc Wyn
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