During Saturday afternoon’s commencement exercises at Mathews High School, the 88 young men and women who received diplomas weren’t the only ones honored by the audience that filled the school’s auditorium. Two members who weren’t there to walk with their classmates were also remembered.

Deanna Christy Haywood, who died in a car accident on April 20, and Scott Thomas Holmberg, who passed away in 2012, received standing ovations as their names were announced during the presentation of diplomas.

"It’s hard looking down at all of my classmates and seeing the two empty seats where our departed friends should be," class president Kayla Robins said in her remarks.

"Our class has definitely been through a lot, losing two peers within a year of each other," she continued. "However, we have come out not only closer but with an important lesson that we should cherish our lives and those of our friends and family because no one is guaranteed time."

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