Denise Llewellyn Quinn – A Mother Holds Onto Her Son

Erin O’Reilly

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and Denise Llewellyn Quinn was grabbing a bite to

eat at her favorite diner. She is a loyal costumer to the Eagle Diner of Warminster and a familiar

face to the faculty, coming there every week with coworkers and friends. It was just about noon

and what were empty seats were quickly filled with hungry customers. A line began to form

outside the main doors and into the lobby. While patiently waiting for the waitress, faculty

members walking by would ask how she was doing and seemed pleased to be in her presence.

When the waitress came to take her order she knew exactly what she wanted without

opening the menu, “I would like the soup and salad bar, please,” she said in a soft tone with a bit

congestion. Quinn was battling an upper-respiratory infection, not feeling her best. She had

been feeling a bit sick over the past week and a half and this was her first time coming out in a

while. Her white hair sparkled as light peered through the window, accenting her silver strands.

Her face seemed a bit tired due to lack of sleep from staying up late grading papers and writing

out lesson plans for Monday’s class.

Quinn became an ESL teacher at McDonald Elementary School within Centennial School

District in Warminster, Bucks County in 1998 while she was finishing up her remaining years at

Cabrini College. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from

Bloomsburg University in 1980 then pursued to further her education at Cabrini College and

graduated with a master’s degree in Ed elementary education in 1999.

Her career as an ESL teacher was unintentional. “I became an ESL teacher by accident.

A half-time job opened at McDonald and [the school’s principal] basically could not give it away

to anyone so when he asked me if I was interested I said yes. I had no idea what it was but it was

a job! From then on I continued to work as an ESL teacher and couldn’t be happier.” It turned

out to be a happy accident and Quinn could not be more thrilled to work with children in grades

K-2.

Quinn is a middle-aged mother of three who still grieves over her youngest son’s death,

Kyle, who was a student at Kutztown University and was fatally beaten on Main Street in

Kutztown by three Allentown men—brothers Terry and Kenneth Kline and friend, Timothy

Gearhart—in 2007. It was the worst point in her life and the hardest thing she had ever

experienced. She never expected to bury her son at age 19.

Today, her and her family continues to relive the nightmare as Kyle’s case remains open

after four years have passed. The Allentown men were first convicted of third-degree murder

and conspiracy, but after several appeals their sentences have been lowered to first-degree

murder. “A few days ago I received some papers from my attorney about Kyle’s case stating

that the two brothers will be further tried before nine new judges.” Her heart aches and her eyes

begin to fill with tears, “it’s just so hurtful. I can’t believe [the case] is still open. What hurts is

their sentences have already been reduced and I don’t feel as though Kyle will receive the justice

he deserves.”

As the family continues to deal with the loss of a son, a cousin, and a friend, they know

that Kyle had not died in vain. Since his death, Quinn and her family have been keeping busy

creating scholarship programs and hold annual events in his name which all proceeds go to the

Kyle G. Quinn Scholarship fund which is given out to students every year. Last summer they

held a 5K walk/run, “Miles for Kyle,” at Warminster Park and a beef and beer, “KGQ Dance

Party,” at Vereinigung Erzgebirge German Club in the winter. The Five Ponds Golf Course in

Warminster holds an annual KGQ Golf Outing which is sponsored by local businesses.

All of the events have a great turn-out and many friends and family come out in support.

These events are not just to help fund for Kyle’s scholarship but to bring together family and

friends to enjoy each other’s company and have a good time, which Kyle enjoyed doing—having

a good time. “This is what Kyle would want, to have a big party and celebration! He wouldn’t

want us to continue mourning but to celebrate his life.”

Everyone’s support from family, friends, and coworkers, is what helps Quinn get by.

“Everyone has been so supportive through the entire process and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Every year more than enough people have volunteered to help out. Even throughout the process

of dealing with the court hearings, everyone would send us such kind words and

encouragement.”

Although Quinn had almost the entire community by her side with support, sometimes it

just wasn’t enough. “Although I had a lot of people supporting me throughout my process of

mourning over Kyle, they weren’t there in the middle of the night, they weren’t there when I was

by myself in my room, and although some were they as my rock during the anniversary of his

death and birthday, they could not feel what I was feeling no matter how much they would like

to relate.”

Creating and coordinating events is not the only thing that Quinn occupies herself with

these days. Her oldest, Caity Quinn, now 27, was diagnosed with breast cancer last year which

took the entire family by surprise. “It’s not something a mother is ready to hear, that her

daughter of only 27 has breast cancer.” After several weeks of treatment, Quinn told doctors to

be more aggressive in treating the disease, “I told them they had to be more aggressive, I already

buried one child and I was not going to burry another.” Caity had beaten the disease and is

happily engaged and is announced to get married in the spring of this year.

Her second oldest, Dennis Quinn, 25, has just moved back home from Colorado where he

lived for a bit. “It’s great having Dennis home again. The house doesn’t feel as empty.” For a

while Dennis was hiking the Appalachian Trail and recording his experience in a journal which

he posted online for family and friends to read. He did this in his brother’s honor. “I think for

Dennis he felt like he had to do this for Kyle. He was feeling very guilty about it all and this was

his way of giving back and serving penance.” Although Quinn had come to terms that her

youngest was no longer alive, it was a bit harder for others. “For a long time he was in denial

and could not come to terms with Kyle’s death, but there comes a time when you have to face

reality, and for Dennis that took a bit longer than the rest of us”.

Through all that life had handed her, the good and the bad, Quinn still manages to look

on the bright side of things, “I believe that everything happens for a reason. Why Kyle died I

still do not understand and never will, but with every bad situation there is some good that comes

out of it, you just have to search for it. The happiest time of my life was three years after my

divorce and three years before Kyle died. I hold onto those years forever. But until now, I have

Caity’s wedding to look forward to. ”