Kendra Shields Funeral Fund
Donazione protetta
Early in the morning of November 22, 2017, the day before Thanksgiving Day, our beautiful granddaughter, Kendra Alexis Shields was in a terrible, single-car traffic accident that took her life.
“Lexie” had her share of struggles in life, resulting in a serious drug problem. While addicted to heroin, she found out she was pregnant. She fought so hard to get clean for her child, a son she would name Anthony. At the time of her death, she had been clean for two years, something few thought she could do.
We were all so proud of her. More importantly, she was proud of herself! And she went back to school! After dropping out at 18, she went back at age 20 to get her diploma so that she could make her son proud and, so she “wouldn't have to tell him his momma was a dropout”.
She did all of this because her little man made her want to be a better person for him. They laughed and played. He would see her come into the room and his face would brighten and he would yell the biggest "Momma!" you have ever heard and go running to her.
It is unlikely that her 18-month-old son will have any memory of his mother, but through photographs and stories from her family, we hope to keep her memory alive, so her son may get a glimpse of what a caring, sacrificial, and loving mother she was.
As you would expect, losing a loved one at the tender age of 21 is nothing anyone can, or should have to, plan for. In an effort to ease some of the financial burden of unexpected funeral expenses, we are trying to raise funds to cover these expenses and, hopefully, provide enough money to begin a college fund for Anthony as well; an opportunity his mother will never have.
The funeral will be early next week, and we hope to raise the funds by that time if at all possible.
Michael Latella, one of Kendra's grandparents (with whom she shared a birthday), will oversee this fund and ensure every penny goes to its intended purpose.
“Lexie” had her share of struggles in life, resulting in a serious drug problem. While addicted to heroin, she found out she was pregnant. She fought so hard to get clean for her child, a son she would name Anthony. At the time of her death, she had been clean for two years, something few thought she could do.
We were all so proud of her. More importantly, she was proud of herself! And she went back to school! After dropping out at 18, she went back at age 20 to get her diploma so that she could make her son proud and, so she “wouldn't have to tell him his momma was a dropout”.
She did all of this because her little man made her want to be a better person for him. They laughed and played. He would see her come into the room and his face would brighten and he would yell the biggest "Momma!" you have ever heard and go running to her.
It is unlikely that her 18-month-old son will have any memory of his mother, but through photographs and stories from her family, we hope to keep her memory alive, so her son may get a glimpse of what a caring, sacrificial, and loving mother she was.
As you would expect, losing a loved one at the tender age of 21 is nothing anyone can, or should have to, plan for. In an effort to ease some of the financial burden of unexpected funeral expenses, we are trying to raise funds to cover these expenses and, hopefully, provide enough money to begin a college fund for Anthony as well; an opportunity his mother will never have.
The funeral will be early next week, and we hope to raise the funds by that time if at all possible.
Michael Latella, one of Kendra's grandparents (with whom she shared a birthday), will oversee this fund and ensure every penny goes to its intended purpose.
Organizzatore
Mike Latella
Organizzatore
Grove City, OH