Casey Lohne, a recent Shawnee High School graduate and Medford resident, died on Friday, July 5, from an automobile accident in Winslow Township.
Lohne, Class of 2019, passed at the age of 18 after being pronounced dead at the scene of a head-on collision Friday on Route 73 near Myers Avenue, said the Winslow Township Police Department.
He was driving northbound when he collided with 39-year-old Christa Galeota of Hammonton, who was driving southbound, at around 4:15 p.m., according to the police. Galeota was treated for minor injuries at an area hospital, police said.
“Our entire school community; students, teaching staff, and administration are experiencing a great sense of sadness and loss due to Casey’s death,” said Shawnee’s Principal Matthew Campbell in a letter on the school’s website.
Lohne was expected to attend Salisbury University in Maryland this fall, according to the school’s football team’s website, of which he was a member.
A viewing will be held on Thursday, July 11, at the Fellowship Alliance Chapel in Medford. A Celebration of Life will be held after in the chapel, in which, at the parent’s request, attendees can wear jerseys of their favorite sports team or Shawnee apparel to honor Lohne, who “never wore anything but Philadelphia teams, Ohio State jerseys or Renegade apparel,” according to a statement on the school’s website.
Counselors were at the school’s media center the Monday after the incident to help staff and students cope with the loss.
In lieu of flowers, the family requested that donations be made in honor of Casey to the Shawnee End Zone Club.
Members of the football team and the community came together after his passing to express their condolences.
On July 6, Shawnee Athletics Twitter page, @SHSRenegades, posted, “Shawnee Athletics sends sincere condolences to the family and friends of Casey Lohne – Shawnee ’19. A member of the Shawnee Football and Shawnee Track and Field teams–Forever a Renegade!”
Lohne was a four-year participant on the track and field team, an annual participant in the stage crew for the drama play and served as a manager of the school’s football team for the past three years.
“At games Casey provided a constant source of motivation as he enthusiastically cheered on his teammates and encouraged the crowd to get involved,” according to the football team’s website.
