Ski Accident Victim Was Student At Lc Junior Killed When He Crashed Into Tree At Schweitzer Mountain Resort

Authorities on Monday identified a teenager killed in a North Idaho skiing accident as Bill Cresswell, a Spokane honor student who planned to begin shopping for colleges next week.

Cresswell, 17, died Sunday after he lost control while skiing and hit a tree at Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

The junior at Lewis and Clark High School sustained severe head injuries and was taken by helicopter to Bonner General Hospital in Sandpoint, where he was declared dead.

People who knew Cresswell described him as a hard-working, artistic student with lots of friends.

A group of 30 of Cresswell’s classmates gathered before the first bell Monday to remember him, said Bob Adams, a Lewis and Clark counselor.

“They talked to each other about what had happened and held each other and cried together and prayed together,” Adams said. “He was a good friend to a lot of kids.”

Dozens of other students visited school counselors to discuss their grief over the boy’s death, Adams said. One left a red rose and a poem on Cresswell’s locker.

Teachers also were moved by the accident.

“All of his teachers thought real highly of Bill and were quite shaken by it,” said Adams, adding that the boy maintained a “B” average in some of the toughest classes offered at the school.

Family friend Ellena Conway remembered that Cresswell produced beautiful drawings, paintings and pottery. He was working on a vase for his mother at the time of his death, she said.

Adams said students at the school planned to finish the piece as a tribute.

The boy planned to visit universities he was thinking of attending on spring break, which begins next weekend, Conway said.

He hoped to work in a scientific field after college, she said.

The woman also recalled that Cresswell was an avid skier who spent a lot of time on the slopes.

“He just really loved to ski, that was his real love,” Conway said. “He probably went a little too fast, but he loved it.”

The funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Sacred Heart Church, 219 E. Rockwood.

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