Tributes

My brother/ best friend passed away to an overdose and I found him and have been devastated! It was one of the BIGGEST TRAUMAS IN MY LIFE 🥺💔😭 BUT he’s in a better place now with no pain. Luv you “G” and will see you 1 day when it’s my time 🫶🏽🙏🏽

Losing one sibling was unimaginable but losing 3 has been an overbearing hurt I am struggling to cope with. I lost 3 of my younger siblings to drug poisoning in only a span of 3 years. I lost my sister Jennifer Felix on February 23rd, 2022. Just I lost him on June 16th, 2024 & just the other day my sister Jeannine Mattess passed away on November 1st, 2025. My family has not brought her home as we are left to wait for the coroners to complete the autopsy & toxicology to find out exactly how she died. This crisis has been so devastating it has been & continues to destroy family’s friends & entire communities from coast to coast to coast. As a person who is personally affected by this surmounting issue, I say it is time to put an end. I as a person with mental health & addiction issue see no hope in ending this crisis, I do however see a path forward to be inclusive around the subject of addiction, to come together as leaders as health providers as justice workers & social supporters & collaborate with the people who are affected by these issues. Support, inclusion & collaboration is one key tool needed but what is also needed is employment & training, peer networking, compassion & understanding.

I miss my brother so much . I wish I could have helped you or saved you . I wish you knew how much I needed you here I love you forever . My brother’s keeper

Jolene truly lit up the world with her smile and everyone who met her felt her joy. She was a dear friend who was taken too soon. The world has not felt the same without her in it.

You have been gone since 2012 and my heart aches today just as it did on September 9 th 2012. You big smile and big hugs is so burnt in my memories is miss them so much. Your laugh is what all your friends and brothers miss. It should never be in a parents life to lose their child it’s not the way it is supposed to be. I have lost you and your brother and I am empty and void I miss you so much my love 💕

March 15, 1991 – July 11, 2025

Shannon was a daughter, a sister, a niece and cousin, but most importantly, she was a loving mother.
She illuminated this world with an extraordinary heart overflowing with a boundless passion to spread love compassion and kindness. She cared for, uplifted and inspired countless individuals. Her thoughtful, selfless nature and generous spirit compelled her to go above and beyond to show support for those in need whether it be family, friends, acquaintances, or even total strangers; she was a blessing to so many.

Renowned for her remarkable empathy Shannon‘s profound impact was also felt through her sweet yet powerful voice, radiant smile and silly grins, contagious laughter, generous heart, her outgoing personality and a goofy sense of humor. While she was quite sensitive, she was also confident, fearless and strong willed.

Shannon‘s hobbies included her love for reading books and scripture, but she was also an exceptionally creative and talented young woman. She was well known for her heartfelt letters and notes of encouragement to uplift others, elaborately decorated cards and thoughtful, handmade gifts that symbolized her love and appreciation for others; if you got one it was because she loved you. Her creative expression knew no bounds, from her vibrant artwork, which includes drawings paintings and unique crafts to her love of decorating for special occasions or just to brighten her surroundings.

While she embraced her individuality, Shannon’s bold and unique style and confidence inspired those around her to embrace their own uniqueness.

Aside from her glowing beauty inside and out, she was exceptionally intelligent and could carry her own in pretty much any conversation; I learned a lot from her.

Among her many talents, she possessed a genuine love and appreciation for nature and remarkable skills in the garden; she had a magical green thumb and an incredible love for all critters and animals that astounded everyone.

Shannon was a very spiritual person with a strong belief in God. Although she faced challenges throughout her life, she was genuine and loyal, her heart was always in the right place and she tried to do the right thing when it counted.

While she is truly a shining example of kindness, empathy, and generosity, above all else, she was a devoted and loving mother to her beautiful son Bentley. Seeing them together was proof of an undeniably strong and unbreakable bond that has no end; they loved each other wholeheartedly and I know he loves and misses her very much.

We love and miss you more than you could ever imagine, Shannon. 😔💔

You left us way too soon. It’s still very raw for me. Please know you were loved by all of your family.
We won’t forget you, ever. Life is so much different now and not in a better way. I love you my son and miss you so much.
My heart hurts like nothing I have felt before. My wish is that your pain is gone and you are in a better place
Love you to the moon and back and back again.
Mom xoxo

I will never forget the call 5 minutes before you left us you was my best friend and a pleasure to be around i understand that you had a lot going on and cocanie help you but you was you and you never listened to anyone sadly you gained your wings tonight at the age of 15 i love you so so much make sure you save me a spot in heaven with you and mum love you best big brother ever fly high 2010-2025

I will never forget the look on your face when I told you that we were going to be parents. Even with all the challenges we had to overcome you still called your family with excitement. You did not deserve to go. Your son Jase Jones Fortin is wonderful, sweet, and loving just like his dad. I love you always and forever. I can’t wait to see you someday.

8/31/89 – 10/24/21

I didn’t get to say goodbye. Why did you leave me? I needed you here. You were supposed to be here. This is dedicated to the first man I ever loved and I hope he felt the same. Wherever you are I miss you! This is to you dad 1954-2024. Forever 70!

Terah,
You had so much life left to live. So many more memories to make, so much more love to receive. It will forever break my heart that you didn’t get that time. You were an exceptional gift to the world.
The most beautiful tears don’t fall in sorrow. They fall in remembrance. Slipping down your cheeks in a quiet moment when laughter echoes from the past, when dreams once held close, still stir gently in your heart, and when the memory of your voice or smile brings both warmth and ache. It’s not tears of pain, but of love so deep it refuses to fade. It speaks of once was, of what still lingers, and a longing that only exists because you mattered that much.
My mouth still cracks a tender smile whenever people talk about you. And I hope no one ever feels they need to whisper your name under their breath as though you are now some kind of glimmer from the past. You are certainly alive in too many ways to ever be left unspoken. So, say her name like a song you’d sing out loud. Unapologetically and full of love.
The things I didn’t get to say, and the things you’ll never get to hear are both regrets of mine to carry. But I got to love you, and I will always be thankful for that. I will endure a lifetime of missing for the privilege of having loved you.

My friend Elijah was just this amazing person, almost like a ray of sunlight but funnier & always there to make ur hole day worth it. Unfortunately a few months ago I was getting ready for work(im a service Technician at the genesis pallet shelter in chico ca) when my coworker texted me that Elijah had been found in his pallet died due to a overdose. I never thought or suspected that he was even doing fenytol, but he was just a lil bit cause his sciatic nerve was bugging him. I miss him every single day & i hope that he is watching over me.

I forgive you, you were always enough

A Son, Father, Brother, and Uncle lost way too soon. You are remembered by your smile and your big heart. We miss you so much and wish you were here!

My brother lost to an accidental overdose at only 28 years young… He had so much life ahead of him! I hope you are at peace now. I am so so sorry I did not help you and do more! I will miss you every day.

7/8/95-12/29/23

Wishing you were here everyday Hailey. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you and all the incredible things you would be doing! Chasing all the sunsets for you my girl💜

My beautiful boy I miss so much. Your smile and good heart. I love you. Mom

My beautiful boy I miss so much. Your smile and good heart. I love you. Mom

Words cannot express the impact of the loss of my stepmother Cathe to overdose, a wise and compassionate soul. It wasn’t what she wanted for her or her children, and neither was her addiction. The loss of one single person to overdose has ripple effects for decades and generations to come. In her loving memory 🙏

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day. And it hurts. I know not everyone likes when I put it out there that we lost my Mama to an overdose…but we did. I did. But, I’m not ashamed. My mom was a beautiful person who cared about others and she had a laugh that would light up a room, even in her darkest days. But, Mom was sick. Addiction is an illness, and it’s precipitated by pain. Mom hurt. Mom had a lifetime of hurts, and it wasn’t until she was gone that I realized just how strong she was and how hard she fought…and how lonely her fight must have been. Back then, I didn’t know. I was ignorant. I was selfish because all I could understand was how bad her addiction hurt ME. I think most of us were ignorant. But, addiction, starting with OxyContin, is the most devastating pandemic our nation has ever faced. For so long, I wasn’t able to wrap my head around her senseless death. There was no reason in it. But, in Mom’s death, and because of it, I have found this death’s purpose…and my own purpose. Because of her loss, I work with some of our society’s most vulnerable and I spend each day fighting to help them and make them feel cared for, valued, and seen. While I have had many roles helping those with mental health and substance conditions, I recently took a job as a substance use therapist. I am privileged and blessed to get up, go to work, and try to be for each of my patients what my mom needed, but never got. I hope and pray that because we lost my Mom to an overdose, I have helped so many others LIVE! There is hope and recovery is very real. If you are fighting this demon or someone you love is, dont give up! Keep fighting! Mama, I love you. I miss you. I do what I do to honor you and, I know it’s too late, but, I’m proud of you and who you were while you were here with us. Mom, you are my reason, and I hope you see.