This memorial website was created in the memory of our little brother and loved one, Evaristo "Juny" Sierra Jr. who was born on March 28, 1978 and passed away on September 24, 2009. He was such a loving, kind and gentle son, brother, uncle and great friend. Juny had a heart of gold. His smile was contagious and he always made us laugh. We will remember him forever. We invite all of you to join us in celebrating his beautiful life... God Bless!
Este sitio web fue creado en la memoria de nuestro hermano pequeño y amado, Evaristo "Juny" Sierra Jr. , quien nació el 28 de Marzo de 1978 y falleció el 24 de Septiembre de 2009. Llegó a ser un amoroso, amable y gentil hijo, hermano, tio y gran amigo. Juny tenía un corazón de oro. Su sonrisa era contagioso y siempre nos hacia reir. Lo recordaremos por siempre. Les invitamos a todos a unirse con nosotros para celebrar su hermosa vida... Dios te Bendiga!
Brother...
We wished heaven had a phone so we could hear your voice again. We thought of you today, but that is nothing new. We thought about you yesterday and days before that too.We think of you in silence, We often speak your name. All we have are memories and your picture in a frame.Your memory is a keepsake, from which we'll never part. God has you in his arms... We have you in our heart! Missing you Always, Sisters 1 & 2
Thank you for the tributes, stories, comments, and pictures you have shared with us. Feel free to share and add any stories or pictures you have of Juny with us. We would love to hear and see the memories you have of our brother...
Tributes
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I think so sister2 wants to bee called "Mimi" or maybe something else, I don't know yet.
Mom is going to be called "Gigi" cuz she's going to be a great granny. That's what she says now but it could change.
The boys will be "Uncle" of course.
And Freddy will be "Uncle Freddy" or maybe
"Tio" or maybe he wants to be baked something else, i don't know either. And I will be "Titi thee Great!" Cuz I am grrrrreat!
You would be so happy and I know you would've been #1.
This baby will be loved and spoiled by everyone. I know it. And we will make sure to let her know about her uncle Juny and her great grandpa. Who will be watching over her always.
Oh and she's got alot of Chicago Bears outfits.
I just thought I'd let you know the big news. But somehow I think you and dad already knew.
I miss and love you very much.
♥️Sistet1 aka Titi thee Great!
Please be patient.
HAPPY 45th BDAY In Heaven, Brotherrrr...
This morning as I was getting ready for woik, all the music that was playing on my XM station were songs you LOVED and would listen to! At first, I was just listening to the songs come on and didn't think nothing of it, then as I was thinking about it, I was like. Hmmm. Brother liked that song, and that song and this song that is playing now (Paul Wall). I was listening to the FLY Station on XM and I shook my head & smiled. Such a sweet co·in·ci·dink. You're good, brother. HAHA! It did make me feel good especially it being your 45th birthday. Well played. I was just telling my coworker that it's not fair that you'll always be a young 31 year old. I'll never know what you would look like at 45. (that sucks and makes me wonder) It's ok, though. No one will ever see you as an older man. I can only imagine and smile. Either way, I love all the pictures and memories I will always have of you.
So, it's only 9am, and I think so my coworker and I will have a YUMMY to our TUMMIES lunch today here at woik. My coworker already said she was hungry. HAHA! It was so windy this morning. Thank you for the early morning BOITHDAY VIBES TODAY Brother. You came in strong this morning with all that cool gust of heavy winds. Go big or go home, huh? Happy 45th Birthday in Heaven, JUNY! I miss you so much. I know you know... Give dad a hug for me. Wait for me and make sure he shows me his teeth when he smiles. HOY ES UN DIA DE FIESTA(B) EN EL CIELOOOOO... I LOVE YOU FO'EVAAAA! Sister#2
Birthday!
7 THINGS I HAVE LEARNED SINCE THE LOSS OF MY CHILD (Posting for Our Mother)
1). Love never dies.
There will never come a day, hour, minute or second I stop loving or thinking about my son. Just as parents of living children unconditionally love their children always and forever, so do bereaved parents. I want to say and hear his name just the same as non-bereaved parents do. I want to speak about my deceased children as normally and naturally as you speak of your living ones.
I love my child just as much as you love yours– the only difference is mine lives in heaven and talking about about him is unfortunately quite taboo in our culture. I hope to change that. Our culture isn’t so great about hearing about children gone too soon, but that doesn’t stop me from saying my son’s name and sharing his love and light everywhere I go. Just because it might make you uncomfortable, doesn’t make him matter any less. My son’s life was cut irreversibly short, but his love lives on forever. And ever.
2). Bereaved parents share an unspeakable bond.
In my seven years navigating the world as a bereaved parent, I am continually struck by the power of the bond between bereaved parents. Strangers become kindreds in mere seconds– a look, a glance, a knowing of the heart connects us, even if we’ve never met before. No matter our circumstances, who we are, or how different we are, there is no greater bond than the connection between parents who understand the agony of enduring the death of a child. It’s a pain we suffer for a lifetime, and unfortunately only those who have walked the path of child loss understand the depth and breadth of both the pain and the love we carry.
3). I will grieve for a lifetime.
Period. The end. There is no “moving on,” or “getting over it.” There is no bow, no fix, no solution to my heartache. There is no end to the ways I will grieve and for how long I will grieve. There is no glue for my broken heart, no exilir for my pain, no going back in time. For as long as I breathe, I will grieve and ache and love my son with all my heart and soul. There will never come a time where I won’t think about who my son would be, what he would look like, and how he would be woven perfectly into the tapestry of my family. I wish people could understand that grief lasts forever because love lasts forever; that the loss of a child is not one finite event, it is a continuous loss that unfolds minute by minute over the course of a lifetime. Every missed birthday, holiday, milestone– should-be back-to-school school years and graduations; weddings that will never be; grandchildren that should have been but will never be born– an entire generation of people are irrevocably altered forever.
This is why grief lasts forever. The ripple effect lasts forever. The bleeding never stops.
4). It’s a club I can never leave, but is filled with the most shining souls I’ve ever known.
This crappy club called child loss is a club I never wanted to join, and one I can never leave, yet is filled with some of the best people I’ve ever known. And yet we all wish we could jump ship– that we could have met another way– any other way but this. Alas, these shining souls are the most beautiful, compassionate, grounded, loving, movers, shakers and healers I have ever had the honor of knowing. They are life-changers, game-changers, relentless survivors and thrivers. Warrior moms and dads who redefine the word brave.
Every day loss parents move mountains in honor of their children gone too soon. They start movements, change laws, spearhead crusades of tireless activism. Why? In the hope that even just one parent could be spared from joining the club. If you’ve ever wondered who some of the greatest world changers are, hang out with a few bereaved parents and watch how they live, see what they do in a day, a week, a lifetime. Watch how they alchemize their grief into a force to be reckoned with, watch how they turn tragedy into transformation, loss into legacy.
Love is the most powerful force on earth, and the love between a bereaved parent and his/her child is a lifeforce to behold. Get to know a bereaved parent. You’ll be thankful you did.
5). The empty chair/room/space never becomes less empty.
Empty chair, empty room, empty space in every family picture. Empty, vacant, forever gone for this lifetime. Empty spaces that should be full, everywhere we go. There is and will always be a missing space in our lives, our families, a forever-hole-in-our-hearts. Time does not make the space less empty. Neither do platitudes, clichés or well-wishes for us to “move on,” or “stop dwelling,” from well intentioned friends or family. Nothing does. No matter how you look at it, empty is still empty. Missing is still missing. Gone is still gone. The problem is nothing can fill it. Minute after minute, hour after hour, day after day, month after month, year after heartbreaking year the empty space remains.
The empty space of our missing child(ren) lasts a lifetime. And so we rightfully miss them forever. Help us by holding the space of that truth for us.
6). No matter how long it’s been, holidays never become easier without my son.
Never, ever. Have you ever wondered why every holiday season is like torture for a bereaved parent? Even if it’s been 5, 10, or 25 years later? It’s because they really, truly are. Imagine if you had to live every holiday without one or more of your precious children. Imagine how that might feel for you. It would be easier to lose an arm, a leg or two– anything— than to live without your flesh and blood, without the beat of your heart. Almost anything would be easier than living without one of more of your precious children. That is why holidays are always and forever hard for bereaved parents. Don’t wonder why or even try to understand. Know you don’t have to understand in order to be a supportive presence. Consider supporting and loving some bereaved parents this holiday season. It will be the best gift you could ever give them.
7). Because I know deep sorrow, I also know unspeakable joy.
Though I will grieve the death of my son forever and then some, it does not mean my life is lacking happiness and joy. Quite the contrary, in fact, though it took awhile to get there. It is not either/or, it’s both/and. My life is more rich now. I live from a deeper place. I love deeper still. Because I grieve I also know a joy like no other. The joy I experience now is far deeper and more intense than the joy I experienced before my loss. Such is the alchemy of grief.
Because I’ve clawed my way from the depth of unimaginable pain, suffering and sorrow, again and again– when the joy comes, however and whenever it does– it is a joy that reverberates through every pore of my skin and every bone in my body. I feel all of it, deeply: the love, the grief, the joy, the pain. I embrace and thank every morsel of it. My life now is more rich and vibrant and full, not despite my loss, but because of it. In grief there are gifts, sometimes many. These gifts don’t in any way make it all “worth” it, but I am grateful beyond words for each and every gift that comes my way. I bow my head to each one and say thank you, thank you, thank you. Because there is nothing– and I mean absolutely nothing– I take for granted. Living life in this way gives me greater joy than I’ve ever known possible.
I have my son to thank for that. Being his mom is the best gift I’ve ever been given.
Even death can’t take that away.
~ Angela Miller