Josh was born on April 30, 2001 in Las Vegas, NV. He was our dream child, sent from heaven after 10 years of impatient waiting. His biological mother placed him in my arms three days after he was born, and we saw the brilliant light which sprang from his soul immediately. His adoption was finalized in October of 2001. From the time he could understand, I told him he grew in my heart for 10 years.

We called him our “sunshine boy” because of the energetic, warm, intense brightness that emanated from his soul. He loved a good joke and making people smile and laugh. To Josh, everyone mattered, from the classmate sitting alone at lunch to his friends who trusted him with their secret anxieties and concerns.

Josh adored music and began performing in choirs in third grade. While attending North Layton Junior High, he participated in concert and advanced choir. He performed in the school production of Pirates of Penzance and the summer production of Music Man at the Clearfield Community Theatre. As a sophomore at Northridge High School, Josh performed in the men’s choir and the school production of Fiddler on the Roof. Right before he died, he told me he had found his place in the world – music and theatre.

Josh was an active member of the LDS Church, participating in Scouting and priesthood responsibilities. He was scheduled to become an Eagle Scout but was killed before completing his last requirement.

On Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), I was shopping near our home. As I drove out of the store parking lot, three emergency vehicles flew by with sirens blaring. I saw the flashing lights stop not far up the street and wondered what had happened. I was home for about 10 minutes when the call came. Josh was in critical condition at Davis Hospital.

His best friend, who had just gotten his learner permit a few months earlier, was driving and turned in front of an oncoming vehicle. They were T-boned on the passenger side. Josh took the full force of the blow. No one else was hurt.

As the doctors tried to stabilize him, I sat by his side, held his hand, and told him how much I loved him. We hugged him, kissed his forehead, and held his hand as they turned off the machines. I am so grateful we were there when the last blip crossed the heart monitoring screen. I will never be able to touch his hand, give him a hug, or kiss him goodnight again. We were ushered from the room and I had to leave my baby’s broken body lying on the gurney.

We were honored to be his parents and privileged to have had his extraordinary soul with us. We will forever miss the beautiful light that shined so bright whenever he entered the room. We cherish the time we had with our sunshine boy and miss him more each passing second. He grew in my heart for 10 years and that portion of my heart is now overflowing with tears.

There is a reason you practice driving with an adult in the vehicle after receiving your learner permit. Experience is vital. Respect the learner permit requirements and know that the rules are in place to provide you with the education, knowledge, and Respect the learner permit requirements and know that the rules are in place to provide you with the education, knowledge, and experience to protect yourself, your friends, and family from harm. experience to protect yourself, your friends, and family from harm. Then, after you have earned your official driver license, you can use this experience to consider the ever-changing road conditions.