The parents of a teenager who was killed in a freak accident on the Jersey Shore have paid tribute to him in touching statements, saying he was a devout Christian with a ‘quirky’ personality.
Levi Caverly, 18, and his 17-year-old sister were digging a deep hole at the beach in Toms River, New Jersey when the sand collapsed, killing Levi and trapping his sister, who was rescued alive.
The family was visiting the shore from their home in Union, Maine, where Levi graduated from high school last year.
‘Levi was himself. He was odd. He was quirky. He was not real concerned with what others thought. He knew Jesus Christ,’ the teen’s father Todd Caverley said in a statement on Facebook.
‘He was involved in the worship team at church, and was the drummer in a teen/ young adult worship band. He was a tech nut and loved to program,’ added the devastated father.
‘The truth is that Scripture says that all our days are numbered. That there is nothing we can do to add a single hour to our life. He knew that,’ he said.
Levi’s mother Angela Caverly told NJ.com that she is finding comfort in her religion and in the rescuers who tried frantically to rescue her son.
‘We had lots of people trying to help and we’re very grateful for that,’ she told the outlet. ‘We know he’s with Jesus and smiling down on us.’
Angela Caverley said that her family was driving back to Maine on Wednesday afternoon to be closer to their church congregation.
‘Physically, my daughter is OK. She’s helping drive us home right now,’ she said.
She said the family had rented a house in Toms River to enjoy a beach vacation, and had spent most of Tuesday afternoon on the shore before the fatal accident.
