It is a pleasant summer afternoon in August and in a home in suburban Garden City a proud mother is talking about her son and about his graduation.

At a Baccalaureate Mass in honor of the graduates, held on the first Sunday in June, one member of the Chaminade High Class of 2002 was not present physically, but those who knew him are sure he was there spiritually.

It was over two years ago that Brian and Ronnie Tracey realized a parent's worst nightmare when their son Brendan, a 16-year-old honor student at Chaminade, was taken from them. This June would have been for him a time to cherish and recall the memories of high school in preparation for the next phase of life.

While time heals most wounds, the Tracey family hasn't been the same since that tragic afternoon on July 8, 2000. It was on that day in the midst of the USA Study Tour, a field trip designed for spiritual and educational growth, that a van carrying nine students and two faculty members went out of control on an Arizona road near the Grand Canyon. Brendan Tracey and Brother Lawrence Zarzycki, who was driving the van, were killed.

But two years later, the Tracey family realized one of their son's dreams of graduating high school. Ronnie and Brian Tracey gladly accepted their son's diploma, further evidence that their son is still remembered.

The idea to present Brendan's parents with his diploma came from the students of Chaminade's Class of 2002 and the faculty as a testimony to the unwavering affection for their former classmate and student. For Ronnie and Brian Tracey, it was a special day, especially since their son had always looked forward to graduation and sitting near the front of the ceremony, where students who receive awards generally sit.

"His parents have been kind of adopted very much by the graduating class as well as by the faculty and the Brothers in the community here. In discussions with everybody involved, we thought this was a great way to remember Brendan that day," said Chaminade president Father James Williams. "Of course, having him there would have been better."

For Ronnie Tracey, with the seat next to her open in the front row of the Baccalaureate Mass, there was a strong feeling that her son was there with his graduating class. In her heart, she believes her son is still with his family as he remains in their thoughts. "We think about him constantly," she said.

While being presented with Brendan's diploma was a special gesture, it has been one of many the Traceys have experienced. Ronnie Tracey says they have received notes and kind gestures from people who knew her son. On a website created by the Tracey family - www.brendantracey.com - there is a section devoted to remembrances of Brendan. Friends and acquaintances have dropped letters to the Tracey family, who have set up scholarships for Chaminade and Garden City High School students each year in their son's name.

For Brian and Ronnie Tracey, who have two other sons who both graduated from Chaminade, the support they have received has made a big difference in their ability to deal with the death of their son for they have discovered how many lives their son impacted. From hockey teams to his participation on the Garden City swim team in the sport he loved most, to his involvement in school activities and St. Joseph's Church in Garden City, Brendan is in the thoughts of others as well.

Those that remember him, recall his positive attitude and how he always looked on the bright side like the time he wanted to play on the Chaminade volleyball team, but didn't make it. Instead, Brendan became the team manager.

Perhaps one lesson that Brendan Tracey has taught is that a life shouldn't be measured in years, but how much impact one has on others. Ronnie Tracey even witnessed the impact her own son had on her life.

Through the Emmaus Apostolic Program for volunteers at Chaminade, Brendan volunteered at the Queen of Peace Residence in Queens Village, run by the Catholic Little Sisters of the Poor. "We really didn't know anything about it until the Little Sisters of the Poor came to the wake at Chaminade and since then, we have developed a great friendship with them," said Ronnie Tracey.

It was because of her son that Ronnie Tracey now volunteers one day a week at the Queen of Peace Residence. "I didn't even know that it existed," she said. But now, because of Brendan, she carries on his name by helping others.

While volunteering, Mrs. Tracey feels close to her son as she feels his presence there as well. "Brendan was always concerned with other people," she said of her son's will to help and comfort others.

For the Tracey family, the past two years have been a difficult journey as they have had to cope with the loss of their son who was taken while thousands of miles away but they hold on to his spirit and they embrace their faith. It is sometimes difficult for Ronnie Tracey to talk about her son, but other times, when she recalls a pleasant memory, it is easier. "It's very difficult, but I know we'll see him again and so we hold on to that to give us some strength," she said.

Their lives changed forever two summers ago. But Mrs. Tracey doesn't ask herself why it happened. "Someday I'll find out why," she says.

At the time of the accident, authorities theorized that fatigue might have caused the van to veer off the road, a theory still dispelled by Fr. Williams. As for Ronnie Tracey, she doesn't care to know exactly what happened. "It's not going to bring him back," she says.

Mrs. Tracey sometimes wonders what might have been, what type of career her son might have had, but other times she doesn't, secure that her son accomplished what was important to him. "He really wanted to touch lives and he did," she said.

Life has gone on and for the Tracey family, they have not gone on without Brendan, for he is still alive in their hearts and now, like his brothers, he is a graduate of Chaminade High School.