Mother perseveres at graduation, one day after son’s death

ST. LOUIS – There was one person missing from a mother’s graduation Monday at Washington University.

“I was thinking, ‘I hope I don’t fall,'” she said. “‘I hope I don’t fall in front of everybody,’ because I had him in my thoughts and my mind.”

Phiffer was thinking about her 13-year-old son, Jermel Ware, who was in a go-karting accident in Belleville Saturday morning. He, along with another, were sent to the hospital.

The decision had to be made Sunday, on Mother’s Day, to take her son off life support.

“I had to make a decision because there wasn’t any improvement while he was there, so I had to let him go yesterday, on Mother’s Day, the day before my graduation,” she said.

Phiffer’s mortarboard read, “Nevertheless, she persisted,” with her two sons names on them. She made it last week to wear while walking across the stage.

“I wrestled with the decision: should I go or not go?” she said. “But ultimately, I said I’m going to go in honor of him.”

Now, a cap and tassel hold a memory of a grieving mother pushing forward.

“If it wasn’t for him and his personality, I wouldn’t have (graduated) today,” Phiffer said. “He’s just the kind of person who pushed me even though it was hard. It was hard not having him there. He wasn’t there physically, but he was spiritually.”

The Belleville Police Department has requested an accident reconstruction team from the Illinois State Police to review the accident.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.