Saxony senior killed in car crash

A Saxony Lutheran high school senior was killed after a car wreck in Perry County early Sunday morning that resulted in felony charges against another teenager who allegedly had been driving.

Jacob A. Weber, 18, of Frohna, Mo., died at Saint Francis Medical Center from injuries resulting from the crash.

The accident occurred around 1:40 a.m.

Weber and his cousin, Christopher D. Petzoldt, 18, of Glendale Heights, Ill., were in a 1999 GMC Envoy traveling westbound on Route A when the vehicle failed to negotiate a curve to the right and overturned, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Both teens were thrown from the car. Weber was taken by helicopter to Saint Francis Medical Center where he was pronounced dead by Perry County Coroner Herb Miller.

Weber was an organ donor, and his donation helped five people get another chance at life, his mother, Jennifer France, said.

Petzoldt was charged with second-degree assault, or operating a vehicle while intoxicated resulting in injury.

Saxony Lutheran High School students spent the day grieving for their classmates. Six or seven counselors were on the premises to provide a shoulder to lean on, principal Craig Ernstmeyer said.

Ernstmeyer and the majority of the senior class gathered Sunday at the hospital to show support to Weber's family, he said.

"It didn't matter who you were, or how outcast you were by everybody else, he was always willing to take you in as a friend," Ashley Lorenz said about Weber.

Weber's passion and faith set him apart, classmates said.

"Whenever he believed in something, he believed in it all the way," Max Wisei said.

Ernstmeyer described Weber as having a bright outlook on life and would always give a standard response of "peachy" when asked how he was doing.

"If you had a bad day, he could always make you smile," Nicole Petzoldt said.

Weber worked part time at River Hills Tool and Die in Frohna, a job he loved, and planned on getting a degree in machining from Rankin Technical College, France said.

He also loved hunting, camping, fishing and doing things with his hands, and had trouble sitting still, she said.

He would take time each day to check in on an older relative who had been having health problems, she said.

"He didn't know a stranger, he was willing to help anybody," France said of her son.

The Saxony Lutheran senior class constructed a temporary memorial in the school hallway for Weber, made from pictures, artwork and things that reminded students of their classmate, like a bag of Combos, his favorite snack. Plans for a permanent memorial are being discussed, students said.

Practices were canceled Monday, and faculty met after school to discuss what action would be taken.

"We're just taking it day by day," Ernstmeyer said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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