This memorial website was created in memory of  Kevin Joyner, 18, born on November 8, 1993 and passed away April 11, 2012. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

"Silent is the voice to far away for us to see or speak to but not too far for our thoughts to reach you"

Kevin's mom: I wanted to share what I wrote and read the night of Kevin's aniversary of his passing.  Dave and I along with family and friends and Kevin's friends were at the cemetary and Dave and I both wrote something and shared it.  It was a beautiful turnout and we released over 25 balloons. It was very emotional and I want to thank everyone that came that night and that posted things on FB, it truly touch...ed my heart.
19 years ago on 11/8/93 you were born.  A beautiful baby boy, 6 lbs. 9 oz.  Peach fuzz hair and blue eyes, you instantly stole my heart.  As time passes between newborn and a 1 yrs. old, you had this light fuzzy blonde hair that would stand straight up, that GM Bello used to call Ducky Hair and you had a laugh that was infectious.  As you grew and came into your toddler years, you were always beyond your years.  From riding a bike to insisting that from a certain point forward you refused to wear fitted jeans and to wear sneakers.   You wanted baggy jeans and work boots.  You wanted to take showers and not baths, you wanted to clip you own finger nails, I was truly amazed at your potential.  You carried around the infamous black backpack, with horsey, your Dallas cowboy jersey and I believe a white t-shirt and prob. some other stuff as well.  I could not get near that, I had to wait until you were asleep to get the clothes out and wash them and sneak them back in.  I even have seen you wear a cowboy hat, of course you were young and you also had a favorite country song from the Dixie Chic’s to the Monster Truck song.  You and Dad in GM Krause’s backyard playing catch at 2 ½- 3 yrs. old.  Dad on one side of the yard and you on the other and you would throw that ball and make it every time to Dad’s glove.  And when Dad would throw it back to you, you would catch it.  You would hit the plastic ball with the big red plastic bat and hit right over the neighbors fence every time.  The skill and coordination was amazing and we knew you were going to be a baseball player.  Preschool with Kayli and the graduation ceremony, a memory I will always hold.  We left Point Pleasant and moved to TR.  You started kindergarten half way through the school year but you did great with the transition.   You would go to TR East 1st – 5th, you had awesome school years there, from being on the honor roll to winning art awards.  One bad year, in 4th where you struggled a bit, mostly because you were coming into your own and your interest with your appearance was beginning.  The teacher called me in for a conference to tell me you did not pay attention in class because you were too busy fidgeting with your jeans, or your hair or sneakers and apparently it was a distraction.  You went through phases, with a little awkwardness at first then you found your style, Emien.  Then it was the buzz cut, light blue, velour outfits, south pole, headbands, and yes even a due rag.  Then the next phase was skater, so away went all that and it became the long hair, skinny jeans and logo t-shirts.  Your first skateboard, lots of tricks, which by the way when you told me you nailed a 10 stair, it was really unbelievable that it really was 10 stairs you went flying down.  This style carried for a while.  In the midst of all this you started to play baseball, you had told us at a young age you did not want to hit the ball of off the stick, so we waited until you were 9 to sign you up.  This began a journey that would last until you were in HS.  So much fun, first homeruns, championships, All Stars, Cooperstown, and good people we met and a lot of fun with at the games and parties.  We had to make a sudden move and we moved across the highway, which in fact changed your school you would be going to.  There you made new friends and then in 7th grade you would meet the girl who would be the love of your life.  You dated for almost 4 years.  It was arranged where dad and I would meet the mom, dad could not make it so I went.  Food was great, the thing I remember is you guys cracking up so hard because when it came time to order I could not understand the waitress’s strong accent and I must have had a puzzled look on my face, which made you guys crack up and it def. broke the ice.  Danielle instantly became part of the family as well as you with hers.  HS flew by, baseball, honor roll at times, prom, and then there was  time of struggle and you managed to pull yourself out at the time and do what you had to do to pass certain classes.  Senior year came you only went to 11:00 and then were out.  You talked about senior prom and graduation.  But that all changed, on April 11th 2012 my world changed forever, I received a phone call with the worst tragic news a parent can hear, your son has died.   I had so many feelings going on of disbelief, shock, and intense grief.   The days that followed, was like walking in a bad nightmare, how could this happen, how am I going to get through this.  Our friends, son’s friends, family, and co-workers jumped right in, and took amazing care of us from planning the funeral, the lunch, the candle light vigil and making sure we were taken care of in the weeks that followed.   The love that was shown for my son truly touched my heart that he had an impact on someone whether it was a person who just knew of him or was a close friend.  I truly believe it hit me, twice while going through those few days, the one night of the viewing where I broke down and did not want to leave him there, and at the gravesite where I had to walk by the casket and I remember just such an overwhelming feeling coming over me that if I was not being held up I would have collapsed. Then the planning of the fundraiser started, which was a good thing because it kept me busy and it was to honor you and do good things for the community.  We had an awesome turn out and even though it rained it did not dampen the spirits of anyone.  At the end we released balloons in your honor and it was a very emotional moment, because at that point all the hard work that everyone put into this it was done and it was a huge success.  Months passed and all the firsts come, your birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New years, etc.  You go through these things but all the while I am feeling the emptiness of you not being there to share this with us.  I became friendly with these ladies on a website for Christian mothers who grieve.  It is a place where I can go and just share my feelings at times.  These women are incredible and all have been through this same tragedy.  I posted once on there that the most surreal words to come out of my mouth are “My son has passed away”.  There are those times when you have someone that you do not know ask you about your kids or if you have kids, there is that awkward moment and you really have to think about how you are going to tell them this news. This is something that I will need to live with for the rest of my life and that is ok.  This year has truly been a journey of laughter and tears, laughter with remembering all the great times with you and stories that are shared with us.  Tears because of the pain I feel because I miss you so much.  There are no instructions on how someone deals with this, you have your good days and you have the bad days.  You cry and you laugh.  You have the memories to hang on to but are sad because you will not be making any new ones.  There are so many things that I wanted for you, and your life ended so abruptly and was short lived.  I started to attend church on a regular basis, and yes it was because I needed to in the wake of such a tragedy.  The sermons seemed to speak to me at times and I could relate them with what I was feeling or experiencing going through this time.  I was looking for peace and healing, and I found it.  Found that God gives me the strength to get up each day, and He allows me to cry when I need to and be strong when I have to.  There are times I force myself to put on a strong face and then God does the rest.  I know my Son is in a beautiful peaceful place and is happy and is ok.  It is me who is left here to grieve because I miss him so much, but knowing that helps me get through the days.