Outside the Downers Grove home of Diane Grabowski is a small tree and bench surrounded by a mound of mulch. Closer up, a plaque and an ornament hanging from the tree with the smiling face of Tim Schiefelbein appears.

Much more than landscaping, the area is a memorial to Grabowski’s son Tim, who died from injuries he sustained in a car accident last fall. Police said he was traveling between 70 to 100 mph.

Along with that poignant public memorial is a smaller, more private remembrance of Tim that Grabowski carried around her neck. Before Tim’s accident, he gave his mom a necklace with a custom-made cross charm for her birthday. Last week Aug. 18 , Grabowski realized that cross went missing while she was running an errand.

“I just feel like I lost a part of him all over again,” Grabowski said.

Grabowski said Tim, who was 17-years-old at the time of the accident and 18 at his death, was driving alone on Nov. 14 when he sped over the railroad tracks at Maple and Burlington avenues and hit a telephone poll. Tim survived for about three months following the accident and died in February.

A few months ago Grabowski said she submitted a petition to the village requesting speed bumps be installed near the train tracks; she is waiting for a response.

Throughout the past six months, Grabowski said she’s leaned heavily upon her faith to guide her through each day.

“We have an extremely strong faith and Tim also had strong faith,” Grabowski said. “God chose to take him that day. I do see Christ’s hand working. I just don’t understand it.”

Grabowski said she is going to meet with the founders of Families Against Chronic Excessive Speed 4, or FACES4, and plans on getting involved to help teach teenagers about the dangers of speeding.

“I would like kids to understand how quickly life can be taken away from you,” Grabowski said. “Driving is not a rite of passage. It’s a privilege.”

At Downers Grove South High School, where Tim was a student, Mark Andrews teaches that privilege in drivers’ education.

Andrews said this year’s program will include a presentation by FACES4 followed by a slide show including pictures of Tim from throughout his life.

“(The presentation will) start with some baby pictures of Tim, early year pictures, middle school and then high school. Then right from there, we’ll show the accident scene and show the hospital pictures,” Andrews said. “It shows how quickly your hopes, dreams and goals can be shattered.