Tributes

I’m so grateful to have had you for nearly 32 years; you’ve blessed my life, Son! Although dad and I almost lost you to a handful of near death accidents, nothing could have surprised us more when you pulled out of falling off Beacon Rock. Breaking nearly every bone on your right side, having a brain injury, paralysis to your right side of face, and losing your mobility for a couple weeks, and then to take yourself (with walker) back up Beacon Rock a month later! Since then, you accomplished having Zoey and Shyloh and worked your way up to general manager for JSCF – YOU WERE/ARE an AMAZING INDIVIDUAL! Dad and I will never stop talking about how blessed we were to have you as our son. And we will never stop telling your kids how much you loved them and how special they made you feel as their father. WE MISS YOU AND LOVE YOU, SON!! Kyle will be remembered, loved, and missed by ALL who knew him. <3

7months on the 11th Jan .
Miss you so much it hurts daily.
Love always

I can’t believe I’ll never see you again my darling girl. It felt so wrong leaving you behind yesterday
I just want to hold you and tell you how much you are loved. I hope you are at peace
Till we meet again, hugs and kisses mum xx

Craig
We will miss you so much this Christmas, it will be the first Christmas ever that we have not all been together I have been going through all our family photos and it breaks my heart that there will never been another Xmas photo of you with Larissa, Lachlan. Nikayla, Me, Dad, Nicole, Craig, Drew and Michelle.
Oh how I wish for 1 more day with you to tell you how much you are missed and loved .
Merry Xmas love
Mum

My uncle passed away from a overdose May 1st 2022 while his “friends” left him there with no hesitation and took everything. I really just think my uncle deserves some type of justice even if it’s just being on a page.

Christina was my baby sister. We lost her 12/17/2018 just 12 days after her 40th birthday and 8 days before Christmas. She has been dealing with addiction since the age of 15 had been clean for 8 years when she relapsed. My father and I fought all we could for 3 years to try to get her sober again but she got introduced to fentanyl and it became her life. She left behind 2 handsome boys the oldest is now 21 and the youngest is 19. We love you and miss you. You will live in our hearts forever we will never let your memory fade.

Mate our first Xmas without you. The seat next to me at lunch empty. It was always going to be a difficult time for us as a family but we pulled together mate you would be proud. Larissa visited your grave before coming to lunch and she gave us all beautiful photos of it to put somewere special. We all cried alot and shared stories its so very raw still and the aches run deep. Drew and Shell did a lovely slide show of all old photos there was some absolute beauties in them that warmed my heart a little and made me cry alot. Mum and dad made it through but the pain runs deep and is etched in their faces and movements. I have so much to share with you I write you at least once a week to download everything in a diary I call after my CT. Me and Craig are heading back to Penang today haven’t been since you passed away and it brings alot of traumatic feelings but I also remember such great memories so I hope to make some more. You are loved so much , you are deeply missed, you are my brother.

A lie ripped our world apart! You found your one true love in this world and the devotion you gave that love was unconditional and I know that nothing I could have done would have made you see the truth you were actually living. That unbreakable loyalty drug you into the shadows..for YEARS you lived your life lying to those that truly loved you. You actually believed that you lived in the beauty of light…YOU were wrong. When you gave yourself so fully to your lie any signs of light left your eyes. I have never seen such empty black eyes before and it was frightening. Your soul and body were devoured by your “one” love. As you weakened your love wanted to infect those around you and in your sickness you obliged. I am sorry that you were so weak. I lost you to the dank underworld and you went happily, joyfully, beautifully with your love. The love that killed the warmth you had and twisted your brain and made you into a cruel liar that had you not been so weak would have killed for! I am angry with YOU and your ONE. I will never understand nor forgive what your one true love did! And because you gave your soul freely you will never forget it either your eternity will be one filled with the darkness you followed in this life. I hope one day the anger subsides enough so I can pity you.

RIP to the angels who passed away. Jeremy (LJ), Slim, Pops, Mark G, Timothy B, Zack, Monica G, Ace, Amanda Rich, JB C, Lindsay, Jake, Paul, Jessica V, Chelsea, Yoder’s, Dads questionable and anyone else I forgot.. Love you till I see you again ❤️

I love and miss you so much. You are, were the most beautiful daughter, mother, friend and person anyone could know.
Fentanyl took you away. I know how hard it was for you and how hard you wanted to fight it.
It wasn’t your fault, I know how it happened and they will answer to God.
Rest in peace, I will see you when I get there.
All my love Mom

You were the greatest mother and the best wife. We miss you every single day. We will forever love you with all our hearts!

11/06/2023 was the day we lost you forever Craig.
There is never a moment that we don’t wish that day never happened, we try to act normal and move on but we can’t our hearts are broken.
Love you forever Mum Dad ❤️

Garrett was a smart fun guy sadly his addiction took his life on august 4 2023 at 33 years old. He leaves behind a beautiful daughter and a handsome dog. He will be forever loved forever missed

We miss you every single day. I hope you are at peace now <3

We lost my brother, Michael, December 4 2020. He left behind his daughter, step-daughter, sister, parents, cousins, aunts & uncles. Family meant everything to him. I wish love was enough to save him, but sadly it wasn’t. The system failed him. He’s forever 35 and forever in our hearts.
I miss you brother. Love, your sister ❤️

A Tribute to my brother

“You knew what you was doin’ when you made us; so with all due respect

You coulda forgave him, you didn’t have to take him” – Dr.Dre

My older brother Justin Dale Thomas passed away while he was living in a Manitoba Housing unit on Kennedy between May 5th and July 20th, 2023, likely from an overdose, as the Winnipeg police say he was surrounded by drugs when they found him. He started engaging in “Illegal activities” at the age of 13, I was 8 years old at the time. He was a young boy searching for companionship and a sense of belonging, seeking male role models. This is a natural desire for any child and not a criminal inclination, but rather a basic human need. It isn’t uncommon for people to prioritize making judgments rather than trying to understand and empathize with Justin or individuals like him who face similar challenges. Many fail to recognize the immense intricacies of the human condition. In my last conversation with Justin, he conveyed regret for the decisions he made during his early years, and he made it clear that many of the challenges he faced can be attributed to that time in his life. He felt trapped in his circumstances, and it is evident that both the justice system and the school system let my brother down. Starting at the age of 13, if he had received the necessary support and guidance, I firmly believe that Justin would still be with us today.

As a young girl, I often spent weekends lying awake at night next to my mom, feeling an overwhelming sense of uneasiness. I would anxiously wait for the phone to ring, silently hoping that nothing bad would happen to him during that time. Lying in bed, I could sense my mother’s anxiety, worry, and panic, even though she tried to hide it. When I found out you left us, my heart broke for her first.

Justin could have been a model for sure, I remember walking home one time from school and he must have had 10 girls following him down the back lane. But it was his soul that was the most admirable thing about him, Justin didn’t have a judgemental bone in his body. You could tell him anything and he would try to understand. He was the type of person who would have given you the shirt off his back if you needed it. And he was smart, especially with technology sometimes I would envision him working at Best Buy or the Apple store. It has been quite the experience to witness and see the outpouring of love from so many people which is an enduring testament to his true essence and “being” on this planet.

Even in the last few years of his life, whenever I saw him, he would ask if I needed anything, such as money or food. Despite his physical suffering, he remained concerned about my well-being. In some of our toughest moments, instead of dwelling on his own pain, he would try to make me smile and shield me from the heavy burden he carried on his shoulders while I sobbed in front of him.
Me and my mom spent a lot of time going to visit Justin at the detention center on Kenaston during Justin’s teen years. I remember I was so excited each time we went to see him because my brother, my mother, and I shared so many moments of laughter. And anytime the three of us were together, it felt like home. My brother possessed an exceptional sense of humour, and he could make anyone smile. Even if I didn’t understand the joke, I didn’t know what they were talking about, or to be honest, they were likely making fun of my serious demeanour, I couldn’t help but laugh too. I longed to experience their laughter once more. My mother and brother taught me the valuable lesson of making the best out of any situation, whether we were in a jail visitation room, waiting for the bus in the cold, or eating expired Kraft Dinner because we couldn’t afford anything else. They showed me the importance of not letting these challenges hinder us but instead finding ways to make the most out of them. Gina (my mother) and Justin shared an extraordinary bond and demonstrated immense love for each other, no matter what. This brings me solace as it assures me that Justin departed this world knowing he was cherished by his sole parent.

I have a vivid memory of one of the last times I saw you. I drove Mom to your place to drop off a winter jacket. Despite the freezing temperature of 25 below, you came out wearing only a T-shirt, blue jeans, and bare feet. I hesitated about getting out of the car, ultimately choosing to stay inside out of laziness. Little did I know at that moment that it would be the last time I would see you. I couldn’t take my eyes off you as you embraced Mom. I often dream about getting out of the car and telling you to come with us, urging you to come home.

I am not really religious, and I am barely spiritual, but there are two moments in my life that I just can’t explain. I am not sure of the date, but I distinctly recall a moment when my mother and I were having dinner at Chicken Delight with one of her friends. And I couldn’t eat, which, if you know me, is odd. I also had this overwhelming feeling of uneasiness and anxiety. I shared with my mom that I felt like something bad was going to happen. Now, I know that this experience is defined as a premonition. That evening my mom woke me up in the middle of the night and I think I went to my auntie’s house, and the next thing I knew I was walking into a hospital room, and there he was, beaten to a pulp, I can still vividly remember the look of his swollen eyes. From that moment forward, Justin was never the same. This is something that my mother helped me realize, and I didn’t fully comprehend it until now. We believe that Justin likely suffered from brain damage, which affected his decision-making abilities. I hope that one day I will be able to forgive myself for not recognizing the significance of that moment in his life. My second “premonition, ”It was probably just odd timing, but if it has any real significance, I apologize deeply to my brother for not acting on these feelings earlier. I had this intense feeling that something was wrong. When we received the news of Justin’s passing, my mom realized that his phone activity had stopped on May 5th. On May 7th, my therapist made a note: “Olivia is having difficulty sleeping and is experiencing distressing thoughts about death.” At that time, I didn’t have any dots to connect, and I thought it was just some random new anxiety. It’s often said that everything is revealed beforehand, but only to those who are perceptive. Perhaps you were trying to communicate something to me, or maybe at that moment, a higher power was giving me the gift of insight without explicitly showing me. I deeply regret not taking action based on that intuition, and I am truly sorry. I understand that even if I had taken action, maybe I wouldn’t have been able to save him, but perhaps we would have answers about what happened to him. Instead, my mother and I are left with a multitude of unanswered questions that will forever remain a source of pain and longing.
During the last few months of Justin’s life, I didn’t reach out to him. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to help him if he asked, and I didn’t want to have to say no. I prioritized my own feelings over being there for someone I loved. Now, I realize that what he likely wanted from me most was to simply acknowledge his humanity.

Justin, my dear brother,

I deeply regret not being there for you in a way that I can be proud of today. It troubles me greatly to know that you passed away alone, and it weighs heavily on my heart that it took us a considerable amount of time to realize that you were no longer with us. Losing you has brought me great sadness, and your absence has created an emptiness within me that cannot be replaced. The pain of losing you is beyond words and burdens my spirit. It is devastating to accept that I will never witness your smile or hear your voice again. I am left with an intense feeling of longing and a profound yearning for another opportunity from the universe.

The memories we created together will forever be cherished, but the pain of your absence is a constant reminder of what I have lost. Grief has become a companion that walks beside me, a heavy burden that I carry every day. I am heartbroken over all the things we will never get the chance to do together. It pains me that you can’t enjoy your incredible son, who looks just like you, he’s funny like you and especially silly like you. Today we made silly faces at each other, over FaceTime while he laughed his head off. And all I could think about was that I wish you were here. You wouldn’t believe how smart he is, how kind he is, how curly his hair has gotten, he points at your beautiful face and is proud to call you his dad. I’m sorry that you had to carry so much pain alone. Not being able to say goodbye is one of the hardest truths I haven’t accepted yet. I yearn for the days when our bedrooms were next to each other, the hours spent sitting with you and watching you play video games, our daily walks to school, or the moments when the three of us would dance in the living room to music videos. Even the silly times, like when we would stuff as many cheese slices in our pants as possible before going to bed. I would do anything to go back to those moments.

Every day, when I think of you, I try to force myself to reflect on the good moments we shared and the laughter we enjoyed. Despite the sorrow that consumes me, I hold onto the hope that one day, the pain will ease. By sharing my regrets and experiences, I hope others can learn from them and cherish the people they hold dear. And at the end of the day, we must value people’s humanity above all else. In my father’s culture, I learned about the concept of oneness and unity. Instead of saying “you and I,” many Caribbean people say “I and I.” This signifies that there is no separation between us, but rather a shared sense of identity and collective consciousness that recognizes our shared humanity. I deeply regret every phone call I wanted to make but didn’t, every text I wanted to send but held back, and every moment I wanted to say “I love you” but remained silent.

Justin, you were always my hero, and even in your death, you remain so. I am still broken by your loss, you left too soon, and I miss you, but I hope that we will be together again. Some say that losing a sibling is one of the most painful losses a person can experience because sisters and brothers get it, they were there.
Experiencing grief is the cost we bear for loving someone, and if I had to choose between grief and nothing, I would choose grief. While my grief may transform over time, it will never truly end, just like my love for you Justin.

I will always search for your presence, anticipate your joyful expression, and listen to your laughter until we meet again.

Love you forever, your baby sister.

Olivia.

Son, father, brother, uncle, brother inlaw, cousin, nephew, grandson. You are and always will be such an integral part of our family puzzle. Without you, our puzzle can never be complete again. The missing piece leaves a space that hurts so deeply. The pain shows on mum and dads faces in a way that can’t be explained but can be felt in all our hearts. Take it easy mate your devoted sister xxxxx

The poison of one pill took you from this life. You should be here.
Your smile, your hugs, your laugh, your spirit and your love for us all. You should be here. Your birthday is today. You should be here.
We all are trying to be strong.
But it’s hard; you aren’t here.
We will miss you for the rest of our lives.
We love you for always.

Hi Brother,
Usually I cry, more so sob aloud to you with high hopes of you hearing me. Since you’ve found the peace your sweet, sad, tired, beautiful soul had been craving I’ve come across a few memorial and tribute pages. I usually share posts on social media dedicated to you but today Id like to try something new.
Last night I sat at my kitchen table (as if your ashes weren’t in front of me) ,with my earbuds in and cried for 4 and a half hours. In-between gasps and sobs I managed to sing while the pain escaped. I was so tired, and so sad. Anger comes in 2nd, while loneliness takes first place. I might have my children(thank you for watching over the process, ensuring nothing but victory),Tj, my coworkers, mesha(more now than ever I guess) and whoever else i physically come across through this life… But they aren’t you. They aren’t the brother I was torn from, while he was torn from me. They aren’t the brother that went through what I went through, what I’m somehow by the grace of God still go through. They aren’t MY big brother. A year and 6 months apart… Or whatever the math is…and we literally were dealt the same suit of card the minute we were given life. Except God saw you tired. He saw you fighting, but fighting alone. He saw you try your best to do right by my nephews, and every right you did, you were done wrong in return. He saw the way you lived and learned, loved and lost, and when he heard your last cry for peace he pardoned you. I’m so fucking mad but I’m so fucking glad. Feeling how I feel, knowing you felt the same way? I can’t help but be grateful that you could finally rest because big brother I get it. BUT you didn’t get the chance to have me guide you , it was stolen from us. I was given the chance to be guided by you, I was given that. Thank you for making sure I had the strength to turn down those deep dances with the devil. Thank you for waking me every time I nodded. Thank you for waking me when my light had gone out. Thank you for giving me the courage and strength to fight the fight I’ve faught, that gave me joint custody of my son. Sleep easy big Brother. I miss the missing piece of me that’s keeping me whole. SCREAMING LONG LIVE AARON SCOT BARBER-EASTON #FOREVER27 Sunrise : 1.27.93 – Sunset: 6.10.20

We all love and miss you so very much.
Your footy team won the grand final and we had a bet for you on the Melbourne cup your number 13 .
Our hearts are forever sad.
Take it easy mate.
Love Mum and Dad

5 months since we lost you mate. Wow the pain runs so deep through our whole family. Mum and dad come up today and I gave mum some wagon wheels to put at the cemetery for you. I look at videos just to hear your voice and I ring your phone hoping you will answer. But I know you never will. You are so loved and missed. Take it easy mate xxxxx your devoted sister