The National Addiction Memorial honors the loved ones we’ve lost.

Michael embodies true love for family. Though he struggled with addiction he never forgot to tell anyone he loved them and what they meant to him. When he smiled it was like seeing a light shine from within him. Our world is much darker without him.

His laugh. He didn’t have a loud laugh. It was more the sound that came from his throat that I remember and miss. He’d give us this half crooked smile and make this sound, and you knew he was being a brat and was happy. The last my time I heard it he was pulling a grey hair from my head and laughing at the fact he found it.

There isn’t anything I don’t miss. His smile, his scent, the way he’d say “can you make me coffee, mama?” I miss the lisp in his speech and mostly I miss his hands. He had such beautiful hands.

He’d only want to know that he was loved.

Ryan loved life. He had a huge personality, best sense of humor and the greatest laugh. He was extremely smart and had many talents. He was very artistic, had a passion for fishing/outdoors and loved being a father. He also loved country music.

There is so much to miss about Ryan. His smile was the best, his laugh was infectious, I miss his hugs, miss listening to him sing to every country song on the radio, miss going fishing with him and watching him catch big fish and get so excited, miss watching him be a father and I will miss being his mom. He told me last year that I was his best friend and that he knew he could always count on me. I will miss hearing him say love you after almost every phone call. I will just miss him so much.

Please remember Ryan for the fun, loving person that he was. He would give the shirt off his back for anyone and would help anyone in need. He was a very hard worker and always wanted to do his best. He loved his friends, his family, his daughters, and his fiancé very much. They meant everything to him. Ryan wore his heart on his sleeve. He had a passion for fishing, music and the outdoors. He truly loved being a father. He had the best smile and the greatest laugh.

Struggled for years to conquer this disease. Many times we thought he had beat it but we were wrong. In my heart he was smart, funny, caring and talented. I only wish he saw himself the way I did. We miss him so much.

My favorite memory about Nick was how sensitive and feeling he could be. He hated to see the homeless. He would often buy a gift card to McDonalds for him or her so they could have something to eat and a drink. He did this despite always having a new lie about why he needed money so he could buy drugs. I think he knew and understood their pain and as with himself wanted to lesson the pain. He had a very special soul.

I miss they way he smells, how he smiles, his silly sense of humor. I miss everything about him.

Please remember him as someone who never wanted to struggle with this horrible addition. He wanted a real job, he wanted to get married, he wanted to have children he wanted a simple life. It breaks my heart that he didn’t live to achieve these dreams.

Josh was a unique person. He was born the night before Thanksgiving, and his first birthday fell the day after Thanksgiving. I always told him he was special because he had 2 thanksgivings before he was a year old. He was such a bright light.

Watching him as a young boy playing baseball. Josh was a lefty, he was so good. Playing 1st and 3rd bases, he was a force to be reckoned with.

Watching him raise his son, and show him all the things a young boy should learn from his Dad. Hearing them laugh together.

As someone very funny, almost larger than life.

My husband of 16 years overdosed on heroin. We miss him terribly. Gone but not forgotten

Dirt biking all over.

His laugh and his kindness

He would like to be remembered as a great father. He was. When he was sober. Which he wasn’t a lot

Joshua was very compassionate. He cared deeply for others who struggled and would give them food and his own clothes so they wouldn’t do without. He had a very soft heart for animals and a huge capacity for love. His eyes could see a million miles.

I have many favorite memories one in particular was when he brought me a beautiful orchid and when I asked him what the occasion was he said it was for all I do for him and for loving him through it all.

His phone calls every day telling me that he’s okay. The mornings he would bring me coffee in bed. Our afternoon conversations sitting outside by our weeping willow tree. Hearing his voice calling my “mom.” The smirk in his beautiful smile. The precious little keepsakes he would make for me. I miss everything about him.

I believe he would like to be remembered as a compassionate soul who are deeply loved his children I was connected to his mom in such a soulful way. He would give away everything he had if it made someone else’s life happier, and he did.

My beautiful mom suffered from severe depression since well before I was born, but she loved her kids like crazy and was our biggest cheerleader. She fought a valiant but losing fight against alcoholism, but she's now at peace.

Mom played the piano (and tried to teach me, but I was not much of a student!). I have great memories of standing at the piano while Mom sat at the keys and pounded out Christmas carols like Joy to the World and Jingle Bells. We would all sing loudly, laugh and have great fun. I love Christmas, partly because Mom made such a big deal out of it!

Her amazing laugh, and being able to talk to her about anything. I knew she would support me no matter what mistakes I made.

TJ... my son❤️ He was so handsome. He had this laugh that was just so infectious, and a huge heart. He had the bluest eyes, was always complimented on them. He was so gentle hearted, and caring

I One memory is the last one .. the last time I had him at home from rehab for an overnight visit. He had been clean for five months, and the change was remarkable. He was so sweet and helpful and caring. He cooked dinner for our family and cleaned up everything afterward. Then we all played a board game together. I had my sweet son back and I cried tears of joy. It was just such a wonderful day and night. He was such a great person and had a beautiful personality.

I will miss everything about my son. His texts, his calls, his voice, his handsome face.. the beautiful eyes and his laughter. I will always miss the excitement he would get in his voice when something good happened and I will miss not seeing him have his future.. that hurts the most

I know he’d want to be remembered as the great person that he was.. before the drugs. He’d want to be remembered for the love we shared and for all the good things that he did.

Madison was an incredibly gifted soul...not only through her creativity with art and music, but also her love and appreciation of people. She was always authentic and looked at the world through her eyes of making the world and people a better place.

Everything about her is my favorite memory. She was not only funny, she was a defender or right and wrong always protecting the underdog. Madison only knew how to purely love and she wanted nothing more than to become a mother herself, which she did nearly 3 years before she was taken from us.

I miss her voice...because OH BOY could she sing and play music! She also had the funniest and most unique laugh! What I miss more than anything is just the light she always had even in her deepest of struggles.

Remember who she was, what she brought to each persons life she crossed and for the heart she willingly shared with everyone.

Gunnar was a warm, caring son and brother. He loved all animals especially his dogs.

His big heart. His hugs. His voice. He ways stuck up for the underdog.

Every single thing!

As a caring, kind person

Aaron was well on his way to a successful life. He enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was a memorable soul, and will be missed by many.

My heart and soul. You are so intellectual yet so simple. The most handsome man on earth. God snatched you from me. Missing you badly.

You were born, filled my life with extreme happiness. We had best of bitter-sweet memories of your growing years, teenage tantrums, college experiences. Then came devil addiction and it ruined everything. Your 24 years of earth stay.. future is lost.

World could be a better place with you being here.

The most intelligent and the sweetest person, who had a lot to give to this world... It's a tragedy for the future also.

My son was an addict, but I don't want that to be his legacy. He was a kind hearted man who was in a lot of pain. He shared what he had until the day he died. If David had a roof over his head and food in his cupboard then you would you also.

The day before he died will be cherished in my heart forever. I took him shopping for new work boots. He had been trying for months to get clean. He was doing great! He was starting a new job and was more clear than I had seen him in years. His birthday was a couple days away and he told me that 34 was going to be his year. He was going to get clean, work, build a life for himself and his girlfriend and be able to see his kids again. He hugged and kissed me goodbye and said "I love you Ma."

His hugs. His big all enveloping hugs. The kind of hug that makes you feel totally comforted and that everything will be ok.

He would like people to remember his sense of humor.

Alicia had a heart of gold. She had a strong love for animals and children. She was a care giving for many being a mother, a Neuro ICU nurse, and her animals. Alicia had a passion for life and she lived life to the fullest.

My favorite memory of my sister, Alicia is knowing that she was in the Gift of Life Program. My sister's death was a tragic but also a miracle because my sister was able to save 3 men's lives; one man from Pa received my sister's liver, and two men in Delaware received a kidney. Each recipient was successful and continue to live their lives.

I will always miss her because she was my bestfriend, my confidant, and her passion for art and music

She was beautiful woman that lost her life to addiction after many failed treatment attempts in the 90s and 20s, She is remembered as someone that had a gift of life as well as saving lives, Alicia David was a hero to me and many other. RIP, baby sister

I miss Talking to him several times each day even when living in VT. I miss his laugh and sense of humor and his love for life.

Someone you can count on to be there, a great friend to many, living life to the fullest.

He was hard working with a big heart. He loved his family. I always thought he would have been a good father.

He was living in Florida and I hadn't seen him in years I went to visit him for the first time and the moment I saw him for the first time after all those years.

I really miss his smile and just feeling his arms around me when he would hug me.

Robert was so many things to me and my girls. He was my everything. He said we were the family he had always wanted, but never had growing up. He had been clean for 3 years at the time of his death. It only takes once to end a beautiful life.

Watching him at work, he loved to learn new things, and he was so good at his job. I loved watching him figure things out, how happy it made him.

I miss waking up in the morning to him. He was always so cheerful. We drove to work together, and the car ride is pretty quiet now. I miss him playing with our dog and cat, I can tell they miss him too. I miss his knowledge. It seemed like if I ever had a question of why or how, he always had an answer. He was so smart. I miss walking behind him, and admiring how tall he was, and how broad his shoulders were. To me, he was the most beautiful man in the universe. He was my guy.

I want people to remember the parts of Robert that he was proud of. The hard worker, the person people could rely on. The person who would laugh the loudest in the room. He never knew a stranger, he was instantly likable.
If you met him once, you always remembered him. He was one of a kind.

Tom (TJ) was so smart and so handsome and such a good hearted person. He was funny, silly, goofy, and always up for a laugh. He loved hard and well. He’s my favorite person, my babiest Bubba, and not a day passes that he’s not terribly missed.

I don’t know that I have a favorite. Every single memory is a piece of my heart and every single thing about him will be missed for the remainder of my days in this realm. He never stopped his baby talk. Only with me. We’d still have full conversations, using nothing but TJ baby-speak. Those were always great.

His laugh. He had the most infectious laugh and you just couldn’t help but to laugh with him. He loved making people happy.

My beautiful brother should be remembered as the truly loving soul that he was. His family and friends meant everything to him. And if he cared for you, he’d give you the shirt off his back if he even thought you might need it. He looked forward to helping others and took so much pride in being able to offer sound advice...even if he wasn’t always good at taking his own advice. My sweet Bebop...your Chickadee loves you all the much, for all of time.

Matthew showed me what a real young love was. He had that shy way about him around me that drew me to him. He fought so hard to stay well. Harder than many. He was a hard worker, a helping hand to anyone in need, and my favorite passenger seat rider

Matthew and I met and lived in Florida together. We loved going to the beach and occasionally doing the “dirty dancing” move where he lifts me over his head. We loved our drives on the oceanside blasting country music, and singing. And our chipotle dates were my favorite dates. I miss you Matthew.

I miss his laugh, I miss his hugs, I miss being his biggest cheerleader and him being my own, too.

The best fisherman and amazing arborist.