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<p>LARKSVILLE &#8212; Residents of the Wyoming Valley&#8217;s West Side reacted with shock at the death of 25-year-old Kristopher Moules on Monday, mourning the loss of a young man they variously had called a &#8220;friend,&#8221; &#8220;student&#8221; and &#8220;fellow athlete,&#8221; looking back on a life which was by all accounts exemplary.</p><p>Moules, a corrections officer at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, died Monday in what county officials described as a &#8220;freak accident&#8221; when he and inmate Timothy Gilliam, 27, crashed through an elevator door during a struggle and fell to their deaths.</p><p>Kamri Jacobs met Moules in sixth grade, but said she felt like she knew him her entire left.</p><p>When she heard on Monday night that the corrections officer had died following an altercation at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, she was shocked and saddened.</p><p>&#8220;He had just texted me &#8216;Happy Birthday,&#8217; on July 4,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Jacobs who graduated with Moules from Wyoming Valley West High School in 2009, remembers Moules as a sincere and caring friend.</p><p>&#8220;If I was going through something, he would come over to where I bartend when he got off from work at 11 o&#8217;clock and just sit to make sure I was alright,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Even though he had already worked a full shift.&#8221;</p><p>On those nights, although Jacobs is a vegan, Moules would say, &#8220;start the fryers.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;d cook fried chicken for him, all the while reminding myself of what a good friend he was,&#8221; she said, laughing.</p><p>Two years ago, when her father died, Moules did not let distance interfere with his support for her.</p><p>&#8220;All of a sudden, he was just there,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He came back from Ohio (where he was attending Youngstown State University) because he knew I needed him.&#8221;</p><p>Jacobs never remembers Moules voicing concerns or criticism about his job at the prison.</p><p>&#8220;He was a funny, awesome person, a wonderful athlete, everyone trusted him,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Irvin DeRemer, Wyoming Valley West superintendent of schools, said the class of 2009 remains close.</p><p>DeRemer said he has been fielding calls from members of the teaching and administrative staff as well as students voicing grief about Moules&#8217; tragic death.</p><p>&#8220;Both Kris&#8217; parents were teachers in the district,&#8221; said DeRemer. &#8220;His older brother Ken also graduated from our high school.&#8221;</p><p>He remembers both brothers as excellent students and remarkable baseball players.</p><p>In high school, Kristopher Moules was a two-time Wyoming Valley Conference All-Star and also was a two-time, all-conference pick in soccer. He also played baseball at Lackawanna College before joining Youngstown State as a junior in 2013.</p><p>Beyond Moules&#8217; own achievements, DeRemer said the whole family reflects a spirit of community and service that goes above and beyond.</p><p>Before their retirement, Kris&#8217; mom, Kitty, taught Family and Consumer Science at the middle school and his dad, Ken, taught physical education at various schools throughout the district.</p><p>&#8220;Kris&#8217; mom led an effort to collect uniform clothing for students,&#8221; said DeRemer. &#8220;In the winter, she would provide coats for children who didn&#8217;t have them.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Together his parents touched thousands of students,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Because Kris and brother Ken both played baseball and soccer during their high school careers, many fellow athletes continued to remain friends with the family.</p><p>&#8220;Many of our staff know the family because of baseball,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They&#8217;ve been in touch with the family, willing to help in any way possible.&#8221;</p><p>Kris, he said, not only played baseball during his high school and college career, but went on to coach younger players.</p><p>Emily Sobocinski said she attended high school with Moules and his mother taught her in seventh grade.</p><p>Sobocinski, an owner of Chuck&#8217;s Main Street Diner, Luzerne, said the family often comes into the restaurant, as well as Moules&#8217; co-workers.</p><p>&#8220;Several corrections officers who are regulars came in this week,&#8221; she said. &#8220;They were really shaken up.&#8221;</p><p>Eric Murphy, owner of Murphy&#8217;s Pub in Swoyersville, remembers Kris coming in &#8220;almost every Tuesday night.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;He really knew baseball,&#8221; said Murphy. &#8220;We always talked about it.&#8221;</p><p>Murphy said several members of Moules family often come into the pub regularly.</p><p>&#8220;He was a super duper kid from a wonderful family,&#8221; he said. &#8220;His death is truly a tragedy.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I went to high school with Kris, and I know his whole family,&#8221; state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, said in a text message Wednesday. &#8220;Both of his parents taught me in school. This is a tragic loss to not only the Wyoming Valley West community, but also our community as a whole.</p><p>&#8220;Kris was a talented young man from a fantastic family. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family in this time of grief. I want them to know that our whole community shares in their loss.&#8221;</p><p>Larksville police officer John Edwards, who said he knew the family, said he considers Moules a &#8220;brother.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;He was part of the criminal justice system community,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This is a tragic loss.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Prison guards as well as many other positions in the criminal justice system, face the possibility of injury or death on a daily basis as they perform their duty,&#8221; said Bob Boyer, Wyoming borough mayor and a longtime police office. &#8220;I sincerely hope that more people would understand and appreciate the sacrifice and risk that these professionals undertake every day they go to work.</p><p>&#8220;The next time you see one of them, tell them thank you.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Photos of her friend Kristopher Moules are now among Kami Jacobs most treasured possessions. County officials say Moules, 25, a corrections officer at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in Wilkes-Barre, died Monday when he and an inmate crashed through an elevator door during a struggle. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_kris1-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Photos of her friend Kristopher Moules are now among Kami Jacobs most treasured possessions. County officials say Moules, 25, a corrections officer at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in Wilkes-Barre, died Monday when he and an inmate crashed through an elevator door during a struggle. </caption0><photoCredit0>Geri Gibbons | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_piaa4a1-2.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">Kris Moules reacts after sliding into home and scoreing against Center Dauphin in the PIAA class 4A finals on June 1, 2009. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_piaa4a1-2.jpeg</photo1><caption1>Kris Moules reacts after sliding into home and scoreing against Center Dauphin in the PIAA class 4A finals on June 1, 2009. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader file photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_piaa4a2-2.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">Kris Moules slides safely into home and scores against Center Dauphin in the PIAA class 4A finals on June 1, 2009. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_piaa4a2-2.jpeg</photo2><caption2>Kris Moules slides safely into home and scores against Center Dauphin in the PIAA class 4A finals on June 1, 2009. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader file photo </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_moules-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_moules-2.jpg</photo3><caption3></caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader file photo </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Corrections officer was killed in incident at prison</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Kristopher Moules remembered as an ‘awesome person’