JACKSON TOWNSHIP — Hard work is what Lucas Marcelli was all about.
“He knew what he wanted,” his father, Bryan, said. “He wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. He’s wanted that for as long as I can remember.”
Marcelli was dominant on the wrestling mat, winning numerous awards in high school before making headlines in college level at Case Western Reserve University.
“I know Case was his reach school when he was looking,” his mother, Angela, explains. “He worked really hard to keep his GPA up. When we got the letter saying he had gotten a scholarship, we were both so excited because we couldn’t have afforded it without the scholarship.”
FULL COVERAGE: Plane crash kills four Case Western students
Once at CWRU, Lucas joined Zeta Beta Tau and served as the fraternity’s treasurer. But he always strived for more.
“He went on and said, next year I’m going to be President,” Bryan says. “That was the way he worked. He didn’t want any favors, but he said if I work hard I see the future.
Monday night, Lucas was one of four young men — all students at Case Western Reserve — aboard a small plane that crashed moments after takeoff from the Cuyahoga County Regional Airport. Officials say the aircraft burst into flames upon impact in Willoughby Hills, trapping all four inside.
None survived.
In Jackson Township, news of his death spread quickly.
Since the news broke, we’ve have nothing but phone calls and everyone’s been sending there condolences in all kinds of ways,” Angela says.
Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board arrived Tuesday to investigate the crash.
The plane’s wreckage has since been moved from the crash site to a hangar for closer inspection.