Help the family of Joey O'Carroll

Our Story

Joey O’Carroll, a brilliant and talented young man whose heart was filled with love for his family and whose future was filled with promise, took his own life on March 4th, just a few months before his 18th birthday. He was planning to join the Nuclear program at the Naval Academy and was working towards an electrical apprenticeship. He was so excited to see what he would be able to accomplish. He left behind his mother, Jennifer, father, John, and younger brothers A.J. and Mason, as well as grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and a great many friends who are all devastated by this loss. 

The O’Carroll family have been our close friends for many years, and we’ve known Joey since he was born. We’ve been there with them, and they have been there with us through good times and through crises. We were so proud and happy to see Joey grow up into such a great young man. This tragedy has brought all of our worlds crashing down, but we are determined to do whatever we can to help them get through this.

We know that there are a lot of other people who want to help as well, and we know that there will be a lot of financial costs over the next few weeks, months, and years. We started this GoFundMe to give people a way to help reduce the incredible hardship they are going through.

Our Goals

We want to make sure money is the last thing on the family’s minds as they find a way to navigate this. Between the funeral, memorial service, lost wages, and grief counseling, expenses will add up quickly. Since Joey passed away in their home, it is going to be too emotionally difficult for them to continue living in that house, so we also want to make sure they can afford housing until they find a new place to live, and that they can afford to hire help with the move.

We still don’t know how much everything will cost, but our best estimates so far include:

$3,000 - $10,000 in funeral and memorial service costs this week
$6,000 - $8,000 in lost wages this month
$5,000 - $15,000 for grief counseling in the next few years
$3,000 - $5,000 for temporary housing
$1,000 - $2,000 to hire movers
$3,000 - $5,000 for security deposit/first month’s rent

We are hoping to raise at least $45,000 to make sure we can cover all of the costs. All donations will go directly to the family. If donations exceed their costs, they will donate the additional money to charities that work to prevent teen suicides.

Please give what you can, even if it’s a small amount - it adds up. And please remember to check in with the family in the months and years ahead. Time will stop for them, and it will be difficult for them to reach out once it seems like other people have moved on. Reminding them that you are there for them, especially around holidays and other significant dates, will mean a great deal and will help more than you can know.

Edit:

Some generous donors have covered the funeral and memorial costs, and Jennifer's employer is paying her while she is on leave, so we have reduced the goal amount accordingly. This is the updated list of estimated costs:

$4,000 in lost wages this month
$5,000 - $15,000 for grief counseling in the next few years
$3,000 - $5,000 for temporary housing
$1,000 - $2,000 to hire movers
$3,000 - $5,000 for security deposit/first month’s rent