Alex's funeral expenses
Donation protected
It is with deep sadness that I must share the passing of my younger brother, Alex Hollenbeck. Although I’ve been trying to mentally prepare for something like this... I’ve realized that nothing can prepare you for the loss of a sibling.
I had been very hard on Alex these last few years. I think one reason is that I knew he had so much untapped potential. We all knew Alex for his ridiculous sense of humor. But he also had a passion for art that would keep him working late into the night. His writing and poetry revealed his depth as a human being.
It’s sad the world didn’t get to experience Alex’s gifts. He could have contributed so much. I knew how great he could be if he really applied himself. I like to share with everyone his last message to me.
“This year I'll make myself proud.. I want to be able to look in the mirror one day soon and say wow, I'm proud of you, that person staring back at me... I don't want to upset you or be a disappointment anymore... I want you of all people aside from myself to be proud of me too.. You’re the one person I want not to hate me.... Thru all our ups and downs Tim, when I call you Sir it's not out of fear it's honestly out of respect… I love you brother. Through my talks with Nick and you, I want to do right by our family and by our parents... I truly want to help out to the best of my ability... One day I promise you, we will see eye to eye and you and I will be friends... I won't have it any other way."
Prior to his passing, he was in the process of enrolling in a GED program. I feel the circumstances of his death do not do justice to what he had inside him. And perhaps what he was preparing himself to do. Growing up in that house was not easy for any of us. The odds were not stacked in his favor. To be able to write something like this in the midst of that struggle is a testament to what he had inside of him and a lesson to all of us. This is how I would like him to be remembered - as someone who aspired to uncover the beauty and potential he had inside of him.
~~~
This Go Fund Me account is to help my family and I pay for the funeral expenses. As some of you know, both my parents have been chronically ill and not working for many years. Any support from our community would be extremely helpful.
We decided on Crestwood Funeral Home for cremation and potentially Riverside Memorial Chapel for the memorial service. The total costs for everything so far will be around $6500. Any remaining donations will be put towards helping my family through this tough time. Once we finalize the memorial service plans, we will be announcing that on social media.
Thank you again to everyone for your support.
I had been very hard on Alex these last few years. I think one reason is that I knew he had so much untapped potential. We all knew Alex for his ridiculous sense of humor. But he also had a passion for art that would keep him working late into the night. His writing and poetry revealed his depth as a human being.
It’s sad the world didn’t get to experience Alex’s gifts. He could have contributed so much. I knew how great he could be if he really applied himself. I like to share with everyone his last message to me.
“This year I'll make myself proud.. I want to be able to look in the mirror one day soon and say wow, I'm proud of you, that person staring back at me... I don't want to upset you or be a disappointment anymore... I want you of all people aside from myself to be proud of me too.. You’re the one person I want not to hate me.... Thru all our ups and downs Tim, when I call you Sir it's not out of fear it's honestly out of respect… I love you brother. Through my talks with Nick and you, I want to do right by our family and by our parents... I truly want to help out to the best of my ability... One day I promise you, we will see eye to eye and you and I will be friends... I won't have it any other way."
Prior to his passing, he was in the process of enrolling in a GED program. I feel the circumstances of his death do not do justice to what he had inside him. And perhaps what he was preparing himself to do. Growing up in that house was not easy for any of us. The odds were not stacked in his favor. To be able to write something like this in the midst of that struggle is a testament to what he had inside of him and a lesson to all of us. This is how I would like him to be remembered - as someone who aspired to uncover the beauty and potential he had inside of him.
~~~
This Go Fund Me account is to help my family and I pay for the funeral expenses. As some of you know, both my parents have been chronically ill and not working for many years. Any support from our community would be extremely helpful.
We decided on Crestwood Funeral Home for cremation and potentially Riverside Memorial Chapel for the memorial service. The total costs for everything so far will be around $6500. Any remaining donations will be put towards helping my family through this tough time. Once we finalize the memorial service plans, we will be announcing that on social media.
Thank you again to everyone for your support.
Organizer
Tim Hollenbeck
Organizer
New York, NY
