Nicholas Shawn Chaffee Obituary

Nicholas Shawn Chaffee attended North Marion High School in Citra, FL. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Nicholas Shawn Chaffee.

Graduation Year	Class of 2008
Date of Passing	Oct 17, 2005
About	He was a great person who left this world too soon. You are still missed and always will be! SPARR - Students at a local high school are mourning the loss of one of their own. Nicholas Shawn Chaffee, a 15-year-old sophomore at North Marion High, was killed early Monday morning when the pick-up he was traveling in, careened off the road and crashed into a utility pole. Nick, as his friends called him, and other students were out of school for the day Monday for a teacher's workday. Tuesday, his first-period Air Force JROTC held a small ceremony in his honor while lowering the school's flag to half-staff. "It's a tragedy when you lose a kid," said Principal Kathy Quelland. "This is not supposed to happen." Nick was active in the school's Air Force JROTC where he was a member of the group's Kitty Hawk Society - an academic honor program. He was also a member of its drill team. Quelland said Nick was also a very popular student. The school had extra counselors on campus Tuesday to deal with grieving students. "He was friends with a number of different groups within the student body," Quelland said. Nick was a passenger in the truck about 12:40 a.m. Monday with driver Jason W. Baird. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the car was traveling east on County Road 329 when it veered onto the shoulder, before striking the pole. Nick died on the scene. Baird, 18, was transported to Shands in Gainesville where he was listed in serious condition Tuesday. Neither had a seat belt on and speed was cited as a cause of the crash by investigators with FHP. Nick was born in Norwalk, Ohio, and had lived in Citra for more than three years. He is survived by his father, Michael Chaffee of Ocala; and brothers, Michael, Marcus and Richard Chaffee, all of Ohio. He is also survived by a sister, Rachel Chaffee; and grandmother, Gyneth Hankins, both of Citra; and a number of uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces. Roberts Funeral Home, downtown chapel, will conduct the funeral. The school's flag will fly at half-staff until the funeral, Quelland said