Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Students, sister remember teacher slain in attack

Eldorado VanDerbosch

Rich Coleman

Students hold balloons and observe a moment of silence for Timothy VanDerbosch and Pamela Orr-Sowers, two Eldorado High School teachers who recently died. VanDerbosch died Wednesday morning at University Medical Center after being robbed, beaten and accidentally run over near Washington Avenue and Betty Lane.

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Timothy VanDerbosch

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Students release balloons before Thursday night's football game between Eldorado High School and Rancho High School in memory of teachers Timothy VanDerbosch and Pamela Orr-Sowers. VanDerbosch was killed Wednesday morning at University Medical Center after being robbed, beaten and accidentally run over near Washington Avenue and Betty Lane.

Whether they had him for physics, chemistry or just simply said hello to him in the halls, Eldorado High School students said they lost a great teacher and friend with the slaying of Timothy VanDerbosch.

“It wasn’t his time to go. He was barely 50,” sophomore Regina Evans said.

VanDerbosch, a physics and chemistry teacher, was attacked, robbed and left in the street, where he was hit by a car, Wednesday morning while walking to school, a crime that VanDerbosch’s sister, Lori de los Reyes, 47, describes as “senseless.”

“I can’t explain it because it’s not rational,” de los Reyes said from her home in Indianapolis. “I am still in disbelief.”

In response to the tragedy, Eldorado High School planned a “blue-out” — VanDerbosch was known for his affinity for wearing blue shirts to school — for Thursday night’s football game against Rancho High School.

The crowd observed a moment of silence in his memory.

The school also plans to conduct a candlelight vigil at 6 a.m. Monday on the road where VanDerbosch was killed. De los Reyes said she and one of her brothers plans to fly out to participate.

“I think it’s just amazing that the community can do that,” de los Reyes said. “I would have never imagined.”

Minutes before the game, members of Student Council carried blue and pink balloons and handed them out to those in the crowd. After a moment of silence, they released the balloons and cheered in memory of VanDerbosch and another teacher, Pamela Orr-Sowers, who recently died of illness.

Stephen Nelson, a member of the class of 2008, said he was in VanDerbosch’s physics class his senior year. He learned of his former teacher’s death on Wednesday and was in shock.

“He was the only teacher I had who made learning really fun and broke everything down. He wasn’t a bell-to-bell teacher,” Nelson said. “Bad things happen to good people, sometimes.”

Student body President Karli Kuhn, a senior, had VanDerbosch twice — her sophomore year for chemistry and this year for physics. She said she had a bad feeling when she noticed that VanDerbosch hadn’t showed up for first period that day.

“I really learned something every single day in that class. He’s one of my favorite teachers,” Kuhn said. “In the class, he made sure we learned something.”

His students said he made learning a priority and that he was strict and sometimes short-tempered — a trait that his sister laughs about.

“Someone said, ‘Remember how when he gets mad, how red he gets in the face?’” de los Reyes said. “That’s his passion coming out. He really wants the students to learn. You’re gonna learn this, and you’re gonna do well.”

De los Reyes said VanDerbosch, an Indiana native, was smart and always wanted to be a teacher. She said he began teaching in Las Vegas in his early 30s and decided to live nearby so he could walk to school.

“He would walk to school everyday, rain, shine or whatever,” de los Reyes said. “Ever since he got out there, he found his niche and wanted to help his students as much as he can.”

Students and alumni enjoyed reminiscing about VanDerbosch but were upset when speaking about whoever is responsible for his slaying.

“I really don’t think they deserve to live,” Kuhn said. “They took a life of an innocent person; they obviously don’t have any conscience. They obviously don’t care for human life.”

Nelson said he was filled with anger when he heard how his favorite teacher was killed.

“He didn’t deserve that. He didn’t do anything but care about the kids and care about teaching. There’s no reason for it,” Nelson said.

Metro Police said Thursday afternoon that they have received numerous leads in the case but have made no arrests.

Police linked the attack on VanDerbosch, which happened near Washington Avenue and Betty Lane, to at least four violent robberies that occurred within three hours in the northeast valley.

Lt. Lew Roberts said the other victims in the robberies were kicked, punched and one was stabbed, but all are in good condition. The robbers appear to be committing “crimes of opportunity” — targeting people walking alone or sitting at bus stops, he said.

“Basically, these suspects are assaulting people that are minding their business going about their day-to-day routines,” he said.

Their motive, however, is less clear, because they are not netting much from robbing the victims, one of them a homeless person, Roberts said.

“We’re not ruling out the fact that these suspects are doing it just because,” he said.

Police believe two or three Hispanic males and one Hispanic female participated in the robberies, Roberts said. They may have been in a white, four-door Nissan car, he said.

“It is our hope that we will have some arrests that will be made in the near future,” he said.

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