David Johndrow: Letter to the living
I was more than a little surprised when I read the obituary the Shephard family posted for their son, Clay, in the May 20 N&O.
At first, my surprise was due to the unconventional nature of their passage. It was shocking to see that they cited the cause of death due (drug overdose) in the opening sentence.
After my disbelief, I was overcome with both grief for their loss and gratitude for their courage.
How, in their time of shock and grief, they could care so much about doing good for our community, I cannot fathom.
This was a letter to the living, and I thank them for it. I hope they may find peace.
David Johndrow
Raleigh
This story was originally published May 22, 2015 at 3:44 PM with the headline "David Johndrow: Letter to the living."