Rally for Justin's Family After Heartbreaking Loss

Hello, my name is Kellee Shepherd. My Best Friend is Ashley (Rankin) Flowers.

On July 3, 2025 her brother and niece were in a terrible fireworks accident at their home. Justin, her brother, did not survive. Her niece is currently in a burn center in Springfield with severe burns from the accident. She is a teenager. The primary caregiver of Justin's children is his mother. While she is strong and independent, she is going to need help caring for his children. The last thing anyone in the family expected was to lose Justin or for his daughter to be injured so bad that will take months to recover from.

Ashley is aware I'm doing this for them. Her mother approved this to help with his funeral/memorial costs and to help the family get back and forth from Springfield. His daughter's recovery is going to be long. The family is going to need help with the expenses of that as well as making sure they don't lose their home.

What I'm asking for people to come together to help his mother and children lay Justin to rest and for him to rest peacefully. They should not have to worry about how they are going to pay for a funeral. They should only worry about their grief and the recovery of his daughter.

Please share, donate, pass along this along. I love Joplin for many reasons, but one always sticks out. This community comes together in the wake of tragedy to help their own. It's so beautiful that it's overwhelming at times the amount of generosity there is here in Southwest Missouri.

All money raised will go for funeral costs as well as any other needs that might arise during this grieving and healing time.

Thank you.