Family celebrates the life of boy gone too soon
Family members and loved ones of Juwaan Woodbury Jr. on Thursday, August 9 at Parklawn Memorial Gardens.
On what would have been his eighth birthday, more than a dozen family members and loved ones of Juwaan Denard Woodbury Jr. gathered at Parklawn Memorial Gardens last week to celebrate his life.
“He was a very vibrant young man and it was just so unexpected,” said Ruby Cain, Juwaan’s great-grandmother. “We all miss him so very much.”
This summer, Juwaan and his family were enjoying a relaxing day at a local pool when tragedy struck. After the family decided to get out of the pool, Juwaan decided to take another swim. According to family members who were present, Juwaan went under but never resurfaced.
Three days later, he passed away at a local hospital.
Although he was only here for a short period of time, several relatives said he touched the lives of many. Cain said Juwaan was a ray of sunshine, who always had a smile on his face.
“He was loving and was always smiling and he was a dance,” smiled Cain. ” What I will remember most is him greeting me every morning before school. He would always say ‘Good morning, GG’ and that just made my day.”
Rayponzia Murphy, Juwaan’s maternal grandmother, said although it hurts, she visits her grandson’s grave almost every day. She said what she will remember most about Juwaan is his personality and his sweet tooth.
“Every time he would see me, he would ask for candy, and if I didn’t have any candy, I would have to give him some money,” laughed Murphy. “… Whatever he wanted, he got, and he was a dancer. You turn some music on for him, and it’s on and popping.
“He was just an awesome little boy,” Murphy said.
Woodbury’s paternal grandmother, Ditsy Woodbury, said, “He was just everything to everybody. He touched a lot of people.”
Before family and friends released balloons in honor of Juwaan on Thursday Aug. 9, Timeka Couthen read a poem to her son before wishing him a happy birthday. While trying to hold back tears after reading the poem, Couthen said, “Mommy loves you, your siblings and your family loves you, your daddy, your grandparents, everybody loves you, and we miss you.”
