Support Maddison's Wish for Joey's Memorial

Hi my name is Melissa and I’m raising funds for my daughter Maddison to have a place to visit her father that passed away 3 weeks before she was born.

My daughter is now 9, almost 10 and today May 24th marks 10 years that her father has been gone. Her father was originally cremated and divided between his parents, his sister and us. About a year ago we were traveling home and passed the local Ames cemetery and Maddi asked if her father had a stone and I told her he did not and that we have some of his ashes and so do others in the family. She asked why he didn’t and I explained how typically you do a burial or a cremation and we had decided to do a cremation at the time. She mentioned how she wished he had a stone she could visit.

If you don’t know us or Joeys story I would like to share that he passed away from unknown circumstances. He was 21 years old and 3 weeks away from being a Daddy. We were engaged and I was 23 years old pregnant with my first child. Joey or Joe Louis was a very outgoing person and enjoyed life to the fullest at all times.

After his passing on May 24th, 2014 we tried to get justice for Joey and have his case reviewed but we never received answers from the individual who was with him that night or the family of this person. Knowing what happened will not change the outcome and we know that but hopefully someday we will have some answers.

It is important to me that she has something or some place where she can go be with her father so I mentioned this to his mother, who is very active in our lives still till this day and she loved the idea of now laying him to rest. We have been pursuing this idea of getting Joe a burial spot with a beautiful stone that will honor him and allow his daughter to be able to visit him and take him flowers or whatever she wants to share with him. We have decided on a plot and the stone is in process, we can share the details when we know more.

My daughter knows only the things we can share with her of her father but I do feel she does know him in some way and that makes my heart happy. If you knew Joe then you know Maddi is a lot like her father in looks and personality! To be able to give her a space to visit him would be amazing and be something she could have for the rest of her life!

The cost to do this is why I’m trying to raise funds as this can be rather pricey. It is also an opportunity for family and friends to be a part of this journey with us. Joey would have wanted his friends to be able to visit him.

Anything raised above what is needed will go into a savings account for Maddi and she can use for it for her first car, school or down payment on something when she is older.

Thank you to everyone who has been involved in our lives since the beginning and the ones who came after.

We love you all!