By Megan Ma

Family and friends pay respects to Bellarmine College Preparatory student Thomas Reyneri Feb. 28 at St. Simon’s Church in Los Altos. Reyneri died Feb. 24 in a snowboarding accident at Squaw Valley ski resort.

Several hundred mourners, including friends, family and community members, packed St. Simon’s Church Feb. 28 for a memorial service honoring Los Altos resident Thomas Reyneri. The 16-year-old Bellarmine College Preparatory student died Feb. 24 in a snowboarding accident after veering off a popular ski trail in Squaw Valley.

The details surrounding his death remain hazy, and so far no witnesses have come forward. A ski patroller, retrieving another person’s snowboard, happened to find Tom roughly 30 minutes after the accident. Somehow he had fallen 8-10 feet from a narrow bridge lined with mesh netting.

Friends and family described Tom as a talented, gregarious and helpful young man. “Tom was incredibly kind and never had any incidents with anyone. He was very bright, very artistic and had a huge heart,” said his brother, Philip, a freshman at the University of Arizona.

A procession of mourners weaved around the spacious chapel, and - two-by-two - knelt beside the open casket, whispering prayers and goodbyes. Family vacation photos and portraits - most of which video enthusiast Tom himself had assembled - silently flickered across a projection screen.

“It’s OK to struggle, to grasp the sense of Tom’s death. We are also consoled by so many gathered here tonight,” Father Anthony Mancuso said to the congregation, still visibly shaken. Mancuso led prayers and the Mass of the Resurrection.

Kevin McMahon, a computer science and animation teacher at Bellarmine, spoke about his unique interaction with his young pupil.

“Tom was one of the most impressive young men I ever met. He was incredibly innovative and had an engineering mind combined with artistic talent,” said McMahon, struggling through tears.

McMahon described Tom’s technical expertise as well as his passion for teaching and helping others learn. Tom formed the school’s first computer animation club and taught students new software from his own computer. Last year, he placed second in a Bay Area-Pixar 3D animation contest.

A talented student who often created impressive projects, Tom also possessed a good sense of humor, McMahon added. “He would always say with that mischievous grin on his face, ‘Hey, Mr. McMahon, I’ve got this great idea for you.’ Tom was a continual reminder of why I wanted to teach in the first place - he had a heartfelt desire to learn.”

Even classmates who weren’t close to Tom remembered his enthusiastic presence at school functions and football games, often toting a video camera and cracking jokes.

“He was loving and compassionate. That’s why people loved him - because he loved and cared about everybody,” said Trevor Treadwell, a close friend who grew up with the Reyneri brothers.

Tom is survived by his mother Alyce, father Justin and brother Philip.

Anyone with information on Thomas Reyneri’s death may call Alyce Reyneri at (650) 483-3888 or e-mail alycereyneri@sbcglobal.net.