Never in a million years would I have imagined writing on this platform and for this reason. On Sunday, February 16, 2025, Johnathan Boyd’s life was taken from him. An altercation, over only God knows what, led to a fight that tragically ended with gun violence, resulting in five children losing their father.

Johnathan and I got married in 2013, and in this time, I learned so much about him and myself. He wanted nothing more than to be a good man and father. He struggled with many internal battles, but he always kept a smile on his face and worked so hard to make those around him happy as well. I have so many stories I could tell, but in this moment, as happy as those memories are, they bring tears to my eyes.

Johnathan leaves behind five children ages 17, 16, 12, 11, and 2. The children will never again get to experience love from the man that they call “dad.” They have to now go through life and hold on to the memories they made with him in such a short time. Two children will be able to play back these moments vividly, two more may struggle, and the youngest will have to live on the stories he is told because he is too young to have actual memories. Never again can they get a hug or kiss from their father.

The man who did this has not been caught. I pray that he is. I say all of this in the hopes that you can understand how this will affect our lives; they will never be the same. Unfortunately, we are in a situation that no one could have expected, and sadly, we are not prepared. We have an estimated cost of 10K to give him a proper home-going service. I come to you asking that if you are able to assist with anything, we would appreciate it. We are working towards this as well.