Amid a snowfall, the Clawson community remembered Alexandria Verner last year on the first anniversary of her death.

Amid a snowfall, the Clawson community remembered Alexandria Verner last year on the first anniversary of her death.

File photo by Donna Dalziel


Verner family, Clawson community to memorialize Alex Verner at city park

By: Mike Koury | Royal Oak Review | Published February 3, 2025

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CLAWSON — As the second anniversary of Alexandria Verner’s tragic death approaches, the Clawson community will be holding a memorial to honor and remember her.

Feb. 13 marks the two-year anniversary of Verner’s death in a shooting at Michigan State University. A community gathering has been organized to remember Verner from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at Clawson City Park. A moment of silence will be held at 8:18 p.m., the time of the shooting.

The gathering will be located at a tree planted by the Clawson High School class of 1983, which was the graduating class of Verner’s father, Ted Verner. The tree was planted in late summer, early fall of 2023 during a reunion, in honor of Alex Verner, and the spot has grown to be a personal one for the Verner family.

“It’s very special to me,” Ted Verner said. “I go for a walk either once or twice a day, and I always stop by and spend a little time with Al at the tree.”

“Throughout the last almost two years — at different times — there are different things that (people) have left there. A girl that Al graduated Clawson with and who also attended Michigan State actually left a beautiful note, flowers and left a Michigan State graduation cap cord for Al,” stated Nancy Verner, Alex Verner’s mother. “Other people have left notes for either Ted or myself, or randomly we’ll find flowers just there from somebody who’s visited.”

As the months and years have passed since Alex’s death, the Verners have found each day to be a challenge. At times, they were going through the motions, not remembering certain days and coming to terms with the pain and anger they were left with in her death.

The family has been dealing with the numbness of losing their daughter and, for T.J. and Charlotte, their sister, but even as the numbness has subsided, it hasn’t made their efforts to heal any easier.

“You find a photo on social media, a memory comes up. Someone shoots you a picture, you come across a picture at the house, a certain smell, anything, and it just takes you back to that day. And I think now that the numbness is off, it’s harder, but time is helping. And as a family, every day we try to get through,” Ted Verner said.

Though the family is a bit separated with Charlotte attending the University of Michigan, they still get together over a phone call each Tuesday to check in with each other.

“We just get together and we talk and make sure Charlotte is doing well and live and heal as a family,” Ted Verner said. “That’s the best we can do, is just get through the day and not break down crying. It seems to be the biggest thing for us.”

The community also has continued to honor Alex Verner, whether it’s renaming the high school’s basketball/volleyball court with her name, the establishment of the Alex Verner Scholarship that’s given to a graduating Clawson student, the constant fundraisers for the scholarship by the likes of the Clawson Mavericks youth football program or high school volleyball team, or the MSU Strong and AV24 signs and stickers that still adorn homes and cars in the city.

“You certainly see Al’s memory everywhere often, and that is extremely intentional and very valuable for us,” Clawson Public Schools Superintendent Billy Shellenbarger said. “Being able to honor her in a number of different ways from so many different people, and this is just one more way to do it on the 13th and remember her and who she was and what she did for all of us.”

The Verner family has said the gathering on Feb. 13 will be the last public memorial they will be doing for Alex, but they wanted the community to know they’ve greatly appreciated its support the last two years and how it always has come together for their daughter.

“The idea was that we wanted to sprinkle a little bit of Al’s ashes at that tree,” Ted Verner said. “So many people go to it and it’s such a great place. We have her final resting place. We’re going to be burying her this summer in Waterford, but really to do this last get-together with the city of Clawson, and these are thank yous because we have so many people that just want to pray and celebrate Al’s life with us together, and that’s why we’re doing this public event and gathering at her tree, a moment of silence at the time that we lost her … and then we’ll just go on our way and continue to love her well as always.”

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