Jared Austin Black

Jared entered this world kicking and screaming surrounded by his mom, father, grandparents, and family. But unfortunately, he exited this world far too soon--alone--and quietly during the night due to an accidental overdose. We'll always remember the joyous occasion of his birth, and we'll relive the wonderful years and memories of his life. However, we will never forget the moment that our lives stopped momentarily upon learning that our son had passed during the night due to a senseless overdose, alone, with no one around. That is the reality of addiction and substance use. You will die, but for the rest of us, we have to regroup in our "new normal" way of life and move forward without you. It's not just you that addiction kills. Addiction takes us also, but more slowly, a little at a time.

It was once said that the "dash" (-) between the birth date and the death date are all of those years and memories in between. For Jared, those years were only 29, but he lived life to the fullest and lived life the way he wanted to live. We are very thankful to God for allowing us to spend 29 wonderful years with our son. He was a gift! God Speed Son--God Speed!