Chanse Craft

I've been searching my brain in a futile attempt to be able to properly convey the loss that we are all feeling right now.   Words rarely fail me, but there are no words in the dictionary worthy enough to describe Chanse, and the empty space in our hearts that we are trying to come to grips with.  Chanse Craft was an amazing soul, with an unapologetic, larger than life personality, eventhough he was the smallest guy in the room.   Chanse was typically the life of the party, and would do pretty much anything to make sure people were smiling, and having a great time. In times that he wasn't out and about, and was just sitting around at his house, 9 nights out of 10, you would get a notification that he was live on Facebook singing along to Shania Twain, Celine Dion, and playing guitar with Nirvana.  He was always the smallest guy in the mosh pit, but he had a heart the size of Texas. He LOVED Nascar, Nirvana, the Titanic, and local music. He never hesitated to lend a hand, and was always thrilled when he would get the chance to get on stage and play guitar with Death Trip. He would often be the only person awake on the long car ride home at 4am after a show, and would keep me company and keep me from falling asleep behind the wheel.   I can honestly say that in all my years of knowing Chanse, I never once saw him in a bad mood. That is one reason why his death has came as such a complete shock.  Chanse was always smiling, but inside his soul was crying.  This is something that he was able to hide, and eventually the pain became too much for him to contain. Chanse was silently suffering through his laughter, and decided to free himself from the pain on Monday, July 13th.  He leaves behind his mother, Donna, his brother, Eli, and his nephew, Levi. He also leaves behind an army of friends who loved him dearly, and will miss him for the rest of their days. It is my hope to help the family with final expenses they are facing during this time of sudden loss. Any amount will help as they try to navigate through this season of great sadness.  Please, if you are struggling with personal demons, reach out to someone. There are so many of us today saying to ourselves, "if only I had known."  We have to be better people, we have to tell our friends and family that we love them, if you find a silly meme that reminds you of someone, send it to them.  You might just brighten their day.  Make time for each other, even if it's only a minute.  And always remember that we can never take a smiling face for granted. "My heart is broke, but I have some glue, help me inhale and mend it with you" -- Kurt Cobain  We love you, Chanse.