[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12665-12666]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER VILLAR

 Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. President, today I wish to share with you 
the story of a remarkable young man from Milton, FL. William 
Christopher Villar, by all surface accounts, was your typical 22-year-
old. He was attending community college with the hopes of one day 
obtaining a degree in business. He was working at a job that he loved, 
and he had recently gotten engaged to his long time sweetheart, Heather 
Dieterich. His life was unfolding the way we hope that all of our 
children's lives will eventually unfold.
  Certainly, it was not these things or even the fact that, as a young 
man, he was actively involved with his church that made him atypical. 
And it was not the fact that he was a star on the basketball court--
making the All-Conference and All-State teams his senior year at 
Central High School in Santa Rosa County--a high school he entered 
after being home schooled for a number of years. Quite simply, it was 
his selflessness and his unyielding love for his family that set him 
apart.
  Chris was the oldest of three boys. As such, he was fiercely 
protective of his younger brothers. There is a story the family tells 
about an accident that happened 12 years ago that illustrates this 
best: Chris and Jacob, his youngest brother, were riding in the back 
seat of their father's car when the driver of a large recreational 
vehicle, coming over the peak of the I-10 bridge between Santa Rosa and 
Escambia counties, failed to slow down for a disabled vehicle. The 
significantly larger vehicle collided with Villar's car with 
devastating force. Chris, in an instinctive moment and without thinking 
of his own safety, grabbed his 2-year-old brother Jacob--perched high 
in his car seat--and threw his own 10-year-old body over him to save 
him. That should tell you volumes about the kind of person Chris Villar 
was.
  By and large, the people who knew Chris all said the same things 
about him: He was a ``good boy'' and he had been ``raised right.'' That 
is a compliment we hear far too infrequently these days, but it is a 
testament to his parents. It should make them proud.
  I wish I could tell you that the story ends there that this 
exceptional boy will one day become an exceptional man, an exceptional 
husband, and an

[[Page 12666]]

exceptional dad. Unfortunately, on the evening of Thursday, June 15, 
Christopher Villar's life came to a tragic end when a car driven by a 
drunk driver crashed through the roof of his family's home. This was an 
avoidable tragedy. This is a grave reminder of the dangers of driving 
while under the influence.
  Just moments before this tragedy began to unfold, Chris, like so many 
of us, had been enjoying the NBA playoffs with his family. He was a New 
York Knicks fan but pulled for the Miami Heat in this series as a way 
to tease his younger brother, Matt. They were kidding about it, as 
brothers do, when a loud noise was heard in the front yard. Whether it 
was the sheer instinct of a protective older brother, the hand of God, 
or both, Chris pushed Matt away from himself and toward the middle of 
his room just as the car crashed through the ceiling. In that instant, 
it was over. If any good can be found in this tragedy, it is that one 
life was lost instead of two. Once again, Chris hadn't thought of 
himself.
  Mr. President, these words do nothing to ease the pain the friends 
and family of William Christopher Villar are feeling today. Their void 
is a void that no words can fill. I share them with you because this 
remarkable young man deserves to be remembered, not for the tragic 
accident that took his life but for the positive impact he had on the 
lives of others.

                          ____________________