A garden for Khaliff

PINE PLAINS — It has been just a month since the death of 5-year-old Khaliff Hankerson, who was killed in an apparent murder-suicide by his own father, Franklin Hankerson. Last Sunday, a determined group of friends and family, with smiles on their faces, remembered the joy that Khaliff brought to Pine Plains.

All ages lent a hand at Paige’s Place Preschool, as a large section of backyard was roto-tilled for a memorial garden to be planted in Khaliff’s memory.

Khaliff was in his second year at Paige’s Place when he died on April 6.

“As soon as I heard, I just decided I wanted him to always be a part of Paige’s Place,� said Tammy George, owner of the preschool and literacy center. “We always have graduation out here [in the backyard] and this is our way of having a memorial to him.�

Paige’s Place is named after Paige George, Tammy’s daughter, who died in a car accident in 2004.

Plants for the garden were either donated by parents and friends or sold at a discounted price by several local shops. There are plans for a birdbath as well as a large slate stone. George said each of Khaliff’s 11 classmates in the preschool will put their handprint in paint on the stone in his honor.

“He was always happy and smiling,� George remembered. “He was a jokester. He liked to tease people and then laugh. He was just a happy little boy.�

Among those in attendance were Khaliff’s teachers, classmates, friends and family, including Ronnie Brenner, Khaliff’s mother.

“It’s been really amazing,� she said of the community support, including the preschool and the fire company, where she is first lieutenant of the rescue squad. Khaliff was well-known among the Pine Plains Hose Company and earned the nickname “Chief Khaliff.�

Several funds have been set up in Khaliff’s memory, including one for the fire department. Brenner thanked everyone for their support and donations. She said there are plans to work with George and Stissing National Bank to start a scholarship for Paige’s Place, to help a less-fortunate family so they can send a child to the preschool. Donations can be sent to the Ronnie Brenner Fund, Stissing National Bank, P.O. Box 651, Pine Plains, NY 12567.

“He loved to be here,� Brenner said of Paige’s Place. “He learned so much so quickly, and he made a lot of friends. He had quite his own personality, I hear from his teachers, and it was just definitely something he enjoyed.�

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