Memories of Michael by his mom, Anne Dionne / Debra (Fellow Traveler )
3/82-5/01
Happy Birthday, Michael
You are loved and missed.
1) His smile
2) I tickled him under the chin, and he would crack up. Did it since he was a toddler, and continued when he was a teen. I only had to say the word "chin" and he would roll on the floor laughing.
3) Watching him play baseball--so many great memories!
4) Dressed up for first day of kindergarten, and catching the school bus for the first time.
5) His excitement on Christmas Eve, handing out & opening presents
6) His gentle hugs
7) Coming to church with me without complaining, then squeezing my hand during the service.
8) The Sunday that he told me how many ceiling tiles there are in our church (think he was bored!)
9) The day he left for Marine Corp boot camp.
10) Parents' Day at Parris Island after not seeing him for 12 weeks of boot camp--the happiest day of my life.
11) His high school graduation party
12) The day he was born, and nursing him on the delivery table
13) His infectious laugh when he was a little boy--you couldn't be depressed around him, he always cracked me up
14) Visiting him at the garage where he worked with my husband--seeing him in his work clothes with grease on his hands
15) The day he came to my work place to fix my flat tire
16) Watching him racing lobsters across the kitchen floor just before we cooked them
17) He was a chatter box at the dinner table when he was younger
18) Going for a ride in his Firebird and out to dinner with him on Mother's Day--two days before he died
19) Watching him grow up, playing in the back yard, having fun in our swimming pool
20) Having a birthday party sleep over with 8 of his friends 21) Cub scouts
22) Lying in bed with him as a toddler and singing the Muppets Rainbow Connection song to him
23) Having lunch with him at the Bootlegger Restaurant when he was a teenager
24) Every day seeing him come home--standing in the same spot in the kitchen--greeting him (missed that terribly!)
25) His sweet kisses
26) The phone always ringing--his friends calling
27) The wonderful vacations we took as a family, and his love of family
Reprinted from the newspaper / Debra
EXPRESSION OF THANKS
The Family of CARSON HOWARD,
including Reneau Howard, L. E. Howard and Jennifer Ramsey and Grant Howard, appreciate the outpouring of love and support during this past week. The family is grateful for the tireless efforts of the rescue crew the night of the accident.
Memorials may be sent to Blaine Volunteer Fire Department, 209 Stone Rd, Blaine, TN 37709.
A Quote / Debra "We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own." - Ben Sweetland
Directions to Meeting / Debra
From the interstate take the Downtown Exit Drive South on Henley Street Turn left onto Blount Avenue Turn right onto Kay Street The Baptist Eye Institute is the second building on the right Drive around to the west side of the building for entrance
Map for Meeting / Debra
The Compassionate Friends / Debra
Parents that have lost children may also find it helpful to visit the local Compassionate Friends meeting held
on the second Sunday of each month at
2:00 p.m. at the
Second United Methodist Church
on Western Avenue
in Knoxville
Happy Birthday Sean / Debra Reagan (friend)
Sean A. Powell Happy 20th Birthday in Heaven 10/1988 – 03/07 Love Mom, Dad, Joey, Jessica, & John
Name: Alan Lamont Armstrong / Pam J.
Favorite Foods: Pizza, Fried Chicken (He really loved to eat, therefore he loved all foods)
Favorite Movies: All about the Benjamin’s Friday
Favorite TV Shows: Cosby Show
Favorite Songs: Songs from the Parliament Funkadelics Rapp Music Songs
Favorite Sports Teams: Atlanta Falcons
Favorite Hobbies/Video Games: Fixing and detailing his truck Playing video games Surfing the Net Working on Computers
Favorite Color: Royal Blue
Name: Gabriel John Miller / Kate Favorite Foods: Anything that didn’t eat him first…. When he was little, if we had something new, and he was looking at it with one of those, “yuck” looks, I would just say to his Dad, “If Gabe doesn’t want to try this that’s o.k., because this food is expensive and we’ll just save it for ourselves…” Gabriel would immediately dig in and love what he ate… He liked HOT and spicey stuff too… He put Texas Pete on EVERYTHING… I think his favorites were Lobster and 5-Way Cincinnati Chili…
Favorite Movies: Gabriel was a movie connoisseur… he knew all the actors and their life stories… He Loved movies… he liked anything scary, funny or full of passionate dramas… He liked, Ed Wood, Purple Rain, Clifford, Robin Hood Men in Tights, Super Size Me, Edward Scissorhands, Red Dragon, The Elephant Man, The Passion of the Christ, Sleepy Hollow, Beetlejuice, the Nightmare Before Christmas, The Lady in the Water, The Ring… He liked Johnny Depp movies the most, I think…
Favorite TV Shows: Gabe wasn’t big on TV… if it was a movie, then yes… but just TV, I’d say he only liked the History Channel and Fox News… He was really interested in the world and what was going on…
Favorite Songs: Gabriel loved music, and had an ear for what was good… He knew, not only, the bands, but the musicians and all about them… He listened to the rhythm and the instruments making the sounds… He heard the bass in the background, he could tell you what the snare drum was doing in a certain part of a song, he could play the bass or lead guitar part or hum or sing what he had heard years before… I don’t really know his favorite song… his favorite artist, I think, was “Matisyahu”, a jewish, regae, rap, guy who sang about God and Jerusalem… But he mostly played punk rock…
Favorite Sports Teams: Gabriel LOVED the UFC… the Ultimate Fighting Championships… His favorite fighters were Chuck Liddell, Royce Gracie, and Dan Severn… Mixed martial arts and boxing…
Favorite Hobbies/Video Games: Gabriel’s favorite hobby was writing songs and playing his guitar… but he also enjoyed video games… Halo 2, Call of Duty, Ghost Recon… he liked playing the live games where you play against other people in other places, I don’t know what you call it, but he liked that…
Losing A Child / Lana Golembeski
Losing A Child
People cannot understand The hell in which I live, Each and every day. In one moment, I had a child. In the blink of an eye She was gone. I cannot comprehend death. I try and try to understand, But I cannot. My heart is torn apart Like a bomb has exploded inside, The pain is more than I could have ever imagined. We think we can protect our children. And when we can’t We blame ourselves. The tears well up in my eyes, Every moment of Every day. Alicia, where did you go? Why did you leave? Why couldn’t you have stayed At least a little while longer? Why did you leave me behind? I search each and every day, To find hope, And to find joy again. How can I when you are gone? Someone please tell me how to do that!
This is a wonderful place...... / Sue Mom To Angel Danielle Monkhouse I wish there was something like this near me. I feel like a fish out of water. Im all alone in this. No one really wants to be with me ,when their happy lives go on. No one reallys wants to be with someone who seemingly is down most of the time. When Danielle passed, I went with her. I wish we had a group like this.Keep up the wonderful work you are doing .....
What a great site / Julie Mcgregor Joel's Mum (Email friend of Debra )
As you can gather by my spelling, I don't live in the US or anywhere near you but so wish I did so I could be part of this little group.
It's so important to be able to share and remember our children together, and give support and comfort.
Debra, you are a special person.
Thinking of you all with love and prayers.
can relate / Liz Lampkin hope someday i can visit one of your meetings. my son http://william-boynton.memory-of.com was killed by a drunk driver on 5-20-06 while he was mowing his lawn. his loss drives me a lilltle crazier everyday and trying to keep the rest of my family from knowing just how much i hurt i visit other sites where i find understanding and comfort to a degree and hope that tommys site will give some comfort to others. i know your pain and i grieve for you as well as for myself.
My heart goes out / Kristin Passerby As a mother i hope i never have to feel this pain. I will pray for the souls of all your sons in my prayers. I can only imagine the hurt but know that they are protecting you now and that God is their protector. My daughter was in a terrible car accident recently and she miraculously survived she says she saw angels so know that they do exist. Again you are all in my prayers
I see above the stars Once I thought was just too far But now my son, Sean, has arrived And the window to heaven Has been opened wide
He tells me to look inside To see all the wondrous sights Nothing on earth compares to the love behind heaven’s gate For my son, Sean, shows me there is no sign of hate Only God’s good grace in his holy place
08/11/08
A note from Katie's Aunt Barbara / Barbara Scott (Gabriel's Great-Aunt ) The website is so beautiful....it will touch so many lives and help to heal so many hearts. This is the way much healing comes about, by sharing our memories, our love, and our pain. I read what you moms wrote about 25 memories..... i cried as i read each one, able to visualize the wonderful warmth and deep, deep love that was the bond between each mother and her son. It makes us realize that we go through life doing "ordinary, every day things"....and those are the ones that build the treasures in our hearts and brings a smile to our faces. God's awesome gift is the LOVE that He has given to parents and their children......He is so Wise and so Compassionate.
I LOVE YOU, Aunt Barb
Wade Buchanan 25 memories / Ruby Buchanan 25 Things I remember about Wade Born April 21, 1983 - died July 18, 2005.
1.Your Pre-mature birth weighing in at 4 pounds and 13 ozs. We brought you home @ 4 Lbs and 8 Ozs. You were so tiny.
2.When you drank 2 ozs. of milk , (like a baby doll) we were so excited, You ate every 2 hours . There was one night I was so tired. I always changed your diaper before feeding you, Well, that night I put your diaper in the microwave, I started smelling something burning before I realized what I had done.
3.Your first birthday party, with a clown cake, eating it with you hands and all over you it was.
4. Reading to you, while you went to sleep. Sometimes I would fall to sleep in your bed. I would wake up in the middle of the night and go get in my own bed.
5. Your attachment to your chain saw, when you were upset about something you would start hollering, " chainsaw" Chainsaw", I thought you might grow up to be the chainsaw massugar
6. The times that I would have to take you out of church because you would be acting up and you would be hollering Help me somebody, Help me!!!
7. The time you added your own version at vacation Bible school - " It your happy and you know it eat a pickle, all the way through, the church people was dying laughing, Mack wanted to fall through the flour.
8. Starting school, Kinder garden, The teacher saying, you wanted to entertain everyone, when a picture was made you would be making some sort of funny face.
9.Those Ninja turtles, Go bots, transformers. We play with them every day, It was so much fun.
10. Then came the ninto games, Super Marino , sports , super heroes, I would play with you, we had so much fun
11. Your summer of Soccer, God you hated it. We made you finish the season. You could care less about any type of sports. The next year, we tried Football, hated that also.
12. Your love for music started about 9 or 10 . You would go around with a CD head phones stuck in your ears. I even took you to see No Dought, GOO GOO Dolls, Bush or whatever. I couldn't believe the "Maush Pit""That's what you wanted for your birthday, ( This was after we had been at the hospital, you had Turkey stuck in your espouses and they had to go in and get it out, You had been telling me for 2 days that you could not swallow, I thought it was an act,. Boy did I feel like an awful mom.
13 Your voice lessons every Saturday for about 3 years, We would go to a new restaurant and be the food critics The last song , I heard you sing to Charlie, Your voice teacher was "Amazing Grace" Your teacher had to stop giving lessons because of a illness he developed.
14. The time we had a birthday party and about 15 boys come over to spend the night and we ran around the house playing cow boys and Indians, games and etc. You let me play with all of you guys,
15 .Teaching you to drive- your drivers test, You Hit a State Van in the parking lot. YOU Failed. But your dad decided to take you to get your licence in a car that you hadn't been driving , you had such a good attitude about that.
16 The way you keep a job, after you got a car, Hardies, Justin's, O'Charley, Food City, Apple Bees ,Severville, Morristown and then Knoxville.
17 The poem you wrote after your grandmother died. " So touching" It was your senior year, boy, did you test the waters after that happened.
18. All the boys in the basement, playing music, watching T V and etc. I not only lost you , but all your friends.
17 All the friends that you had. Girls, Girls , Girls, You tried to be a friend to everyone. I guess that is why over 1400 plus people came to your "wake" The funeral didn't get started until 10:15 that night, And all the people that came to graveside service, They came from Kentucky, Ga, New Jersey, South Carolina Al. and We didn't realize how you had touched so many people's life.
18. The way you gave so many things away. Your Keyboard, guitar, games, money, Did you know that you were going to die young? I would fuss, because I was afraid the people that had given them to you would get their feelings hurt, Then you stopped telling me about the good deeds that you had done.
19. The way you would not talk about people or say anything bad about them. I couldn't get any "Gossip" from you!!!
20. Our late night talks, on the deck, on the couch, I always tried to stay up for you and listen to you , when you needed to talk. We had some "DEEP Subject talks"
21. The hugs you gave me. YOU never stopped doing that. I am so thankful for that. You were never embarrassed to go any where with me at any age, I was so blessed to have you for a son, and to have such a good relationship.
22. The times I would hear you playing your guitar and singing in the basement
23. The way you would wake me up in the middle of the night with you laughter about something you was watching on TV.
24. All the places we went and you went, Cruise, Disney World, Beach, etc. We had so much fun and precious memories. You didn't care to go anywhere, you would get in the car and drive to Penn. Fl Myrtle Beach, Nashville, At. You were not afraid to take changes.
25 Your 22 birthday, at Ye o-Steak House in Knoxville, Almost all the family came, Our meal was paid for by my brother's "Drug representing that just happened to be there.
I could go on and on. but, 25 is the limit now. God, Son , I love you and miss you so much. I know you would want me to go on with my life . I am trying so hard. I dig in the dirt still going for counseling. joined a health club, working and trying to stay busy. I learned so many things from you. I am so thankful that God let me have you for 22 years , 2 months and 27 days. You will always be in my heart.
Alan Armstrong 25 memories / Pamela Johnson 25 Memories of Alan Lamont Armstrong -
1. Asking me to tell Jarvis to stop going in your drawer wearing your white T's
2. Asking can I have the last piece of ...
3. Asking can ???? spend the night or can I spend the night with ????
4. Can I borrow $$ until pay day?
5. Telling me that you love me.
6. Loving and spending time with your brother.
7. All of those beautiful Mother's Day and Father's Day cards because you always said that I was your mother and your father.
8. When I married Alphonso - asking me about a week later, when was he going to go home because he had been at our house for a long time.
9. Caring for others.
10. Seeing your face, when you got your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th vehicle.
11. Seeing your face when you got accepted into UTC and MTSU.
12. Telling me to take care of myself because you wanted me around forever.
13. Making fun of Evon's teeth and Evon making fun of your head!
14. Playing football and baseball.
15. Working hard and walking on the football team at MTSU.
16. Going to watch you play in a football game at MTSU.
17. Babysitting your brother.
18. Buying me special gifts.
19. Calling me in the wee hours of the morning while at MTSU asking me to help you put the finishing touches on your paper that is due is a few hours.
20. Introducing me to the Clay family.
21. Loving and spending time with Tiffany.
22. Always being faithful for your friend Patrick - although I thought he was using you, but you disagreed and said he was not.
23. Walking and playing with Jo Jo (dog).
24. AND on the day before you were killed, helping me with the CD player in the Honda that I had just purchased for your brother.
25. You and I telling each other that we loved the other before you and DeWayne left for the evening on 02/24/2007. I will always remember this because this was the last words that we said to each other. I am glad that they were I love you and be careful.
Sean Powell 19 memories / Scarlett Powell 19 memories of Sean
We remember you:
1. shopping at the mall on July 6, 1995 the day after you came to live with us and the joy on your face 2. running around Disney World at age 7 for the first time in amazement 3. playing football and picking up the nickname “speedy” 4. eating the hamburger cake on your 7th birthday with your school friends surrounding you 5. the Halloween birthday party with games, apples, costumes, and friends 6. catching the big fish and smiling in the picture on a day well spent 7. being our best man at our wedding renewal ceremony – you were so handsome 8. worrying about your friends more than yourself 9. mowing the next door widow’s yard regularly without charging and accepting the $5 offered with a smile on your face 10. playing your guitar and writing songs 11. getting cocoa puff (rabbit) out of her cage and holding her in your lap to pat her 12. teaching Trisha (dog) tricks: shaking paw; laying down; and trying to get her to roll over 13. having sleepovers with your friends on the trampoline and playing music well into the night 14. surfing the waves, snow boarding, and skate boarding with your friends 15. running to clear your thoughts and build those muscles you loved to show off 16. the photo session at McDonald’s before your junior prom with your friends 17. answering the door in your boxer shorts and us screaming put on some clothes & you laughing - thinking it was funny 18. turning the bathroom in a steam room from taking a shower & drawing on the mirror 19. smiling as you questioned whose Mercedes was sitting next to our yard - knowing it was for you
Gabriel Miller 27 memories / Katie Helms Gabriel Miller… 27 memories… by Katie Helms, his MOM…. 1. sticking your tongue out at me when you were two days old… 2. when a baby, being carried, always having to be held face out, so you could see what was going on… 3. mimicking the guitar player in your dad’s band, and your Uncle Bob… 4. always wearing a crazy costume… starting at 3 years old, on the back of my bicycle, with cowboy boots, football helmet, and superman cape blowing in the wind… 5. a “wheeler dealer”, from the start , always wanting to sell something… 6. always wanting to entertain… directing the other kids in a play, or lip-sincing a song… 7. a ladie’s man, from the start too… always putting your arm around a girl… 8. but Mama’s boy first… 9. always ready to go anywhere with me and your brother… 10. swimming at the beach and blue springs… fishing at the river… anything free, we did it, (if we had the gas money to get there)… 11. always wanting to make a deal, to get out of trouble, or get your way… 12. always encouraging me when I needed it… 13. teaching your 4 year old little brother how to read, so he could look up baseball card prices in the Topps catalog… 14. teaching your little brother how to play the drums, so you’d have a drummer for your band… 15. from a young age, concerned about your appearance, and having to look cool… 16. always being sweet and acting excited when you got home-made presents when we didn’t have any money… even when you really wanted ninja turtles, and I couldn’t afford them… 17. you were always excited about everything… 18. even as a little kid, you shopped around, when you had money to spend… 19. when you got your first job you helped me to buy Jinco’s for yourself and your little brother, because I could only afford the cheap jeans… 20. I watched you “get touched” in church, several times… and weep and weep at the movie, “The Passion of the Christ” 21. always calling me to meet for lunch… J and going to movies with me… 22. trying SO HARD to overcome addiction… 23. always being there for your friends… no matter what time it was… or what was going on… you would drop everything to just sit and listen… 24. always needing a ride… 25. always telling me and your brother “I love you”… always… 26. always saying, “how do I look… tell me the truth…” and “trust me…” 27. writing beautiful songs and poetry to me and encouraging me so much…
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