A Eulogy For A Young Person Who Died Of A Drug Overdose

A Eulogy for a Young Person Who Died of a Drug Overdose

God brought Ware and Maggie Hart to Red Bank United Methodist Church in Chattanooga, TN a year or two before the Pandemic, and we immediately became close.

Ware is the only person who has ever referred to me as Rabbi.

At Ware’s insistence, we started meeting in my office once a week in the morning before Ware went to work.

Ware had a strong, mature, and inquisitive faith.

He had a deep hunger to learn as much as he could about God and was drawn especially to the unconditional love of God that is stressed over and over in the New Testament.

We studied the entire New Testament together, and one of Ware’s favorite Scripture passages comes from 1 John Chapter 4.

It goes like this: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love…

…There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment…

…we love because [God] first loved us.

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.

For whoever does not love their brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

And [God] has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

Beyond studying the Bible together Ware and I talked about life.

He spoke often about his love for Maggie and the rest of his family.

And later, when Holden and Evelyn came along, they were the focal point.

Another thing we talked about was Ware’s struggle with addiction.

He was forthcoming about what he had been through and was still experiencing.

Addiction is a merciless enemy, one that doesn’t discriminate based on age, background, or social status.

It’s a disease that Ware fought every day, and it’s a disease that ultimately took him from us.

But let’s not define Ware by his struggles.

Let’s define him by his heart, his spirit, and the love and laughter he brought into our lives.

Ware had a magnetic personality, he drew people to him with his charisma, his wit and his infectious smile.

Ware was non-judgmental, he was popular, and as HIS FAMILY puts it, lovingly I might add, Ware was a character, perhaps a bit quirky…but in a good way.

Pat, YOU told me that minus his problems with addiction, YOUR SON was sort of like a Richie Cunningham Character who would stop on the streets to give money to homeless people, and even rescue damsels in distress.

I’m told that when Ware was beginning as a Freshman at George Washington University he chased down a man who stole a woman’s purse, tackled him, and then held the man down until the police arrived.

Ware had a talent for baseball and started playing VERY EARLY in life while traveling with his PARENTS to his sister PAIGE’S Softball tournaments.

Ware started playing coach pitch baseball at the age of 4—he never played with a tee.

He would go on to attend the prestigious IMG Baseball Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and from there receive a scholarship to play for George Washington University and later St. Leo University.

Ware didn’t just love baseball though, he loved all kinds of sports, including Fantasy Football.

Because Ware felt guilty about betting on Fantasy Football, he told me that he had made a pact with God that he would give 10 percent of any winnings to the church.

I’m not sure how that worked out since I’m told he wasn’t very good at Fantasy Football.

I understand that Ware wasn’t much concerned with what clothes he wore whether it was khakis that looked like a rat had been chewing on the bottom of the pant legs or shoes that were about to lose their souls.

Pat, YOU shared with me that when YOU and Ware would go to the golf course Ware would have on black socks with little ducks or some other funky design on them, perhaps a sweatshirt zipped up to his chin, and a floppy hat.

RICK YOU told me that Ware was a great brother-in-law and YOU have known him since Ware was 15 years old because that was Ware’s age when YOU and PAIGE started dating.

One time, Ware flew out to visit YOU TWO in Colorado and Ware was at YOUR HOUSE playing video games when at 12:30 in the morning he decided he was hungry.

So, YOU made a run to Wendy’s and Ware ordered the entire left side of the menu, and then he was up the rest of the night with indigestion.

Even though Ware was thin, he ate like a horse, often, again at crazy hours which would often, again, end in a case of indigestion.