Tributes

5 yrs ago I (we) lost you to addiction but in my heart it still feels like yesterday. I will always be proud of the man you became, I will always miss you my son & I will always love you more…to the moon & stars & back again. You will forever be 28 & I will forever be broken…. until we meet again. Love momma bear

Hey Dad, its been a while. I still miss you. I will never know why you had to do what you did, you were doing so well, you were almost clean again. I still wonder if I could have done anything to help, I mean, I know I couldn’t I was only five. It still hurts. Love you dad, see you sooner than later.

Alex. I wish you were here. I wish you could meet our daughter. I wish you didn’t have to leave us. I know that everything happens for a reason and I know our paths collided because they were meant to. Because in such a short period of time you taught me what love was. The kind of love that was pure and passionate and unlike anything I had ever known before you. Thank you for coming into my life and loving me. Thank you for giving me our beautiful daughter. I will always tell her about you, and I will make sure she grows up knowing she had a father who loved her, even though you were gone before she was born. You will live on through us. I love you.

Hey Baby Brother , I love you and miss you so much everyday I wake up and see you as a constant reminder that I’m still here and you’re not , it bothers me so much I’m not with you. You were my best friend, you are still my best friend I just wish I could hug you brother and tell you how much u meant to me, how much I loved you and had your back. I’m going through it right now you know life and I need you to be here with me and get me through this time and to the place I know I need to be. Watch over us please, Mom, Dad, Nana, Love , AJ , Romo , Lala , Sonny , Guero & Me we all miss you so much and I hope you know you’ll never be forgotten♥️

A beautiful mother, wife, and everything else.
Part of her soul still shines within me.

Unbearably tragic & gone too soon. We had too many future plans, memories, music and our own futures together. Until we meet again and connect our souls as one again. Reunite us as the family we’ve built me you & midi. I love you unconditionally Landyn, you’ll always be the abstract art in our modern museum. Love always your Cassie in the city.

I never knew what real pain was until October 5th 2021. To say my heart was broken, shattered, or crushed would be an understatement. If he knew he was gonna leave us, he never would have done those drugs that day. River had the kind of soul that everyone was attracted to. He was always smiling. He loved everyone!! We had our whole lives ahead of us and we were doing so good staying clean, going to church, doing everything we were supposed to be doing.. but that day he gave in and got high. That choice he made changed mine and many others lives forever. Mine will never be the same. I will never be okay from this. I hope everyone remembers who River truly was and NEVER forgets him. I know I never will let his name be forgotten!
I LOVE YOU MORE AND MOST<3
ALWAYS&FOREVER.
April 21st 1996-October 5th 2021

You were my lover and my best friend. I am so blessed to have fallen in love when we were both sober. I saw the true Brandon, the soft, gentle, child-like man that I fell so deeply in love with. I refuse to put your death in vain. I will live on, sober. Our son Lex is a little piece of you, here on Earth.

Damian,
I want to apologize for not telling you in length how much you mean to me, your sister, and our family. You brought so much joy to our lives. The last thing I said to you was “I love you”, but I hope you know that I meant it and those were not just words.
I often cry in the mornings on my commute to work when I am alone and the world around me is quiet. I cry not only for the grief in my own heart, but for your family and loved ones, and mostly for you.
You were about 3 years old when you came into my life…you were such a special little boy. You brought so much joy and laughter to our lives and I hope you know that we always considered you to be part of our family. When your sister was born, it only solidified that bond and I will never forget how proud you always were to be her big brother. I hope you know that she felt the same way and that she adored you. I hope you know the peace and comfort you brought to her heart just by being there. I am not sure if you realized how thankful she was to have you and how thankful I was to know that you two had each other. Thank you for taking her out to dinner for her birthday a few years back, you may not have known it, but she was struggling at that time and that meant the world to her.
I feel so blessed for the time we shared when you were little. There were several years that you were with me a lot and I wouldn’t trade those for the world. I have many fond memories of that time that I will forever cherish.

I know that we didn’t see each other much as you got older, but I want you to know that that never took away from how much your sister and I love you. I pray that you know how much you meant to me. I wish to God that I could take away your pain and I hope you know that I was always there if you ever needed me. I love you and I promise to be there for your family in any way that I can. You have always held a special place in my heart and you always will.
With Love,
Kerri

To my brother, Z, you’ve been gone for over 7 years now, but I still miss you every day. You were the best friend I’ve ever known, and more than that, you were a true brother to me. I continue to look back fondly on the memories of trips and fun times we shared — I only wish we could have shared more. I hope you are at peace. We will meet again one day.

Janni, we miss you!!! 😔💔💔💔💔

We miss you Papa. 😔💔💔💔

😔💔💔💔

Papa, we miss you 😔💔💔💔

Lives cut short, futures lost, times and relationships detached. Just memories now and thoughts of what could have been.

I miss all of y’all, I wish we were hanging out around your last days for the few we were not, or if I was to busy being blackout drunk with a needle in my arm…. Idk why y’all got to go and I didn’t, I’ll see y’all soon enough. I wish y’all could see y’all’s daughters. They miss y’all more than you’d suspect…. RIP. Not one made it past 30 all born between 90-93….

I love all yall. Can’t wait till we meet again! And yes, I make sure your baby girls know who you are

My 18yo son Jakob passed away on 4/22/24 from a fentanyl poisoning. This is my letter that I read at his funeral on 4/26/24. I don’t know any other way to describe the pain and loss.

To my dear sweet boy,

My heart aches and my soul empty. It has only been a few short days without you but already it feels like a lifetime. This hurts.

I hoped and prayed every day that you would find the strength and peace inside of you to keep going. But, you couldn’t. I understand.

I need you to know that I understand deeply what you were going through. I understood from the depths of my soul that this world was cruel to you. From the time you were so small, I knew this life was not meant for you. I knew, this life was not yours.

I truly put my entire heart and soul into loving you, which was not a hard task. You were the most lovable. You were kind, sweet, loving, smart, one of the funniest and wittiest humans I ever knew. You made me laugh out loud often. Your heart was bigger than anyone I have ever known and probably will ever know. I tried to wrap all of my love around you always so that you knew you were loved, you were cherished, you were important and you were more than enough.

I know that your death was not planned I know that poor choices took you from me, from this world. But, I need you to know that I am not angry with you. Not even a little. I know that if you had it the way you had hoped, you would be happy, healthy, and safe. You would be laying your head on my lap while I brushed through your hair with my fingers and told you how special you were to me and how deeply I loved you. I know that you would have worked and saved that bread to get your condo and find love and have a beautiful life. I am so deeply sorry that I could not give you the beautiful life you deserved.

I need you to know that Daddy is not mad. Bradley is not mad. Anna is not mad. We all knew that this life was brutal to you and that you deserved better.

I need you to know that I know your goal was never to hurt me or cause me fear or worry. I know this. But, like I have told you over the years, you are my baby and I will always worry about you until the day we die. I just never imagined that this day would come so soon. Too soon. I just wish I could have held you one last time, looked into your gorgeous eyes and tell you how proud I was of the human you had become, the strength you had these last couple of years, the willingness you had to make whatever changes you possibly could to be a part of our family and our hearts. We opened that up to you and we all embraced you 1000%. Sometimes love isn’t enough. Your pain was greater.

My beautiful, sweet, loving boy. I miss you desperately and love you just a as deeply today and I did the first day I saw your beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair on July 17, 2005. And I will love you even deeper until the day I rest my eyes and join you in your beautiful place. Say hello to Poppy, Grandma Dot, Granny and definitely give Bekah a HUGE hug for me and tell her I get it too.

I love you, I love you, I love you so deeply my sweet boy. While I am never going to be able to know that everything will be ok for you here on earth, I do know that with where you are now, “It’ll all be alright” my love. Who you were is not what you did. Now is your time to be brand new. Be free my sweet boy. Flip and flop with God and just be the you that everyone who knew you loved and adored. I will always be your biggest cheerleader. Always my love. Until we meet again. Save a seat for me.
Love, Your Momma

Trevor, your life was not easy. You got on drugs early in your life but then in 2020 I told you that you either went to State Rehab or you would have to lose my number and if you came near my home, I would have you arrested. You went as hard as it was since State Rehab is not easy. You endured it & when you came out you worked in the Arborist field as a clean up guy. You started climbing & became an incredible climber. In fact after you passed the VP of your CO stopped by to tell me that you had been observed weekly & they were going to make you a lead! You got into golf & became obsessed with it & so good at it. 3-1/2 YEARS CLEAN. Then I received a call 2 weeks before Father’s Day saying that you made the medics call me. The medic on the phone said you had lost so much blood due to Kidney Stone. You were in so much pain. You were given opioids. On 06-17-24 you once more tried fentanyl. You left me that night. You were my hero and I love you!! You made a difference in peoples lives including mine!

My sweet son 1997-2023 You passed away almost two years ago. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of you, miss you and want you back. I love you so very much and my heart is forever broken since you left us. Your face still is the first thing I think about in the morning and the last I think about at night. The pain of losing you is suffocating at times. But know this, you will always be remembered and loved by all of us. You will forever be alive with us as we carry you with us every day. We love and miss you Aidan.

Amanda some days I miss you so bad it hurts. I will cry in public when things remind me of you and I wish that I could just hug you and hear your laugh. I NEVER ever in my worst nightmares thought I would have to experience living a life with you not in it. Please please give me a sign that your somewhere watching me and watching the Rockwood kids. Your face and your smile is carved on my heart forever. I miss you so bad . Please give me a sign you’re ok wherever you are.

You were the brightest light in our lives and are so missed. I remember your funny saying and the way you came into a room. Your songwriting was so amazing and this is something we hold onto and find comfort in. Your voice was so so beautiful and your songs touched so many. Forever we will keep you close in our hearts…. till another time Jamesio!