09/03/2026
Tonight, there really are no words.
My heart is broken for Torren O’Grady, for his family, for his friends and classmates, and for the entire North Stonington community.
A child left home to go to school and should have come home again.
Torren should have had years and years ahead of him—more birthdays, more lacrosse games, more bike rides, more laughter around the dinner table, more ordinary days that we sometimes forget are actually the most precious days of all.
Instead, tonight there is an empty place in a family that can never truly be filled.
So tonight, please leave a light on for Torren.
If you have a lacrosse stick, put it outside. If you don’t, just turn on your porch light.
Let North Stonington glow tonight.
Let every light say to Torren’s family: We see you. We are grieving with you. We are holding you in our hearts. And you will not walk through this alone.
I’ve had the privilege of representing North Stonington for many years, and I know the heart of this small town. When one family hurts, this community hurts with them. And when the unimaginable happens, we surround one another and help carry what is simply too heavy for one family to carry alone.
To Torren’s parents and family, I hope someday you can find some small measure of comfort in knowing how many people are speaking his name tonight, how many hearts are aching for you, and how many lights are shining because your little boy mattered.
Tonight, hug your children a little longer.
Say the things we sometimes think we’ll have plenty of time to say.
And before you go to bed, look outside at all those lights.
One is for Torren.
May God hold this beautiful child close, and may He give strength to his family and to an entire community trying to find its way through an unimaginable loss.
Tonight, our lights stay on for Torren. 💙
