"To Justin's Parents, Family & Freinds, We met Justin 6 years ago when Aden started racing and he did not know anyone or much about racing. Justin was Aden's first motocross hero. Aden was riding on a 50 JR. and Justin was on what seemed then to be a huge 85 bike. Justin took Aden under his wing and always gave him encouragement and words of advice before and after races, and Aden always tried harder when he knew Justin was watching, and he always ran to the bleachers to watch Justin's race to cheer him on. I know he improved as a rider early on because of watching Justin ride and becuase of his positive relationship with Justin. Justin was always great with all the younger riders. Of all the trophies and awards that Aden recieved since those early years, one of his most prized possesions his a plague Justin won and gave to him. Aden had Justin sign it and it hangs on his bed room wall today. One of Aden's biggest thrills racing was having Justin pick him for a buddy race at Hang Time. We had not seen Justin much in recent years, but did get to talk to him at Fulton County in May. You could still tell that Aden looked up to him! I know we will all miss him very much, he was a great person. There will never be a motocross race track that we're at that Justin won't be in our harts. He will forever be in our thoughts, memories, and prayers...."
In loving memory of
JUSTIN M. WILCOXSON
December 13, 1988 - October 12, 2008
Justin Michael Wilcoxson, age 19, passed away at Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne, IN on Sunday, October 12, 2008 from injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident on Saturday. Born on December 13, 1988 in Columbia City, IN he was the son of Jennifer A. (Baker) Wilcoxson and Michael E. Wilcoxson.A lifetime Whitley County resident, he attended the Whitley County Consolidated School system. He was employed as an operator with his father in the family business, Wilcoxson and Son Excavating, Inc. An avid racer, he was a member of the American Motorcycle Association. Survivors include his father, Michael E. (Lisa Streib) Wilcoxson of Columbia City; mother, Jennifer A. (Shane Keller) Wilcoxson of Fort Wayne; grandfather, Donald Wilcoxson of Columbia City; grandmother & step-grandfather, Pat & Larry Clark of Michigan; grandmother, Jana Baker of Columbia City; great-grandparents, Gerald and Bonita Gamble of Columbia City; great-grandmothers, Margaret Wilcoxson and Rita Jackson both of Columbia City; uncles, John Baker and Jarod (Lori) Baker both of Columbia City; uncles and aunts, Steve and Carla Gebert of Larwill and Darian and Britte Stein of Columbia City; cousins, Jeremiah, Jessica and Jordan Geiger, Jennalin Gebert, Lyndsay, Kristen and Zack Baker, Ashlynd Pleus, Evelyn and Wyatt Stein; and several loving extended family members. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, John N. Baker, great-grandfather, Charles Wilcoxson and great-grandparents, John A. and Dorothy Baker.Visitation is Friday, October 17, 2008 from 2 to 8 p.m. at DeMoney-Grimes Countryside Park Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City, IN. Funeral service is Saturday, October 18, 2008 at 10 a.m. at the funeral home with Pastor Duane Ginder of Indian Village United Methodist Church officiating. Burial will follow at St. Matthew's Cemetery, Columbia City. Memorials may be given in Justin's memory to the Whitley County 4-H Ag Museum. To send family condolences or sign the guest register book, please visit www.demoneygrimes.comClick here to view video tribute**Video may take up to 2 minutes to load.
Tributes
"Dear Mike, I`m very sad for loss of Jus, I know how much you & Jen loved that boy,he was a very talented young man and the Dennis family mourns that loss.My deepest sympathy goes out to you.Please let me,Jackie or one of the kids know if we can help.Again,it was heartbreaking news,my condolences to the Wilcoxson Family. Your a very good friend of mine for life.May the Lord bring comfort and peace to you.(765)620-8307.Love,Robt."
"Our family was very sad to hear about the death of such a great young man. Justin was one of our son Aden's first motocross heroes. Justin was racing 85cc and Aden was on a 50 Junior. I remember when we first started racing Justin was always cheering Aden on and giving him words of encouragement and Aden was always cheering for Justin to win. Aden always seemed to try harder when Justin was around. Justin didn't just try to help the younger riders, but his competitors as well. The highlight of Aden's second year of racing was being picked by Justin for a buddy race at Hangtime. We hadn't seen Justin much in recent seasons, but did get to see and talk to him at the Fulton County night race on May 10th. It was great to see him! It hurts very much to know that we won't see him again. He will always be with us in our thoughts, memories, and prayers. He will always be our Hero! Justin, thank you for your thoughtful words of encouragement.The Merchants"
"Dear Jen and Mike, I am so sorry for your loss. Even though I didn't know Justin, I know both of you and I know what a terrible loss this is. I have daughters around the same age and I know what we go through as parents at this age of letting them become their own person, an adult, I also know what we did at that age ourselves and together as friends(back in the day)! No one can take away your pain but may you find comfort in the memories you shared! God Bless Both Of You!!! Love, Laurie "Mitch" Davis"
"MIKE,I AM SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS-JUS WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU, YOU HAVE TO CARRY ON FOR HIM. MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. LESLIE DENNISROBERT DENNIS"
"Mike and Jen: I am deeply sorry for your loss and hope you can find comfort in friends and family during this time. You both are in my thoughts and prays."
"I am deeply saddened for you loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you."
"Jennifer,I am very saddened by your loss. The Lord will heal your heart in time. You are in my thoughts and prayers. "
"Mike and Jen: No words can describe the deep and horrific pain you are feeling. Justin was such an awesome young man. I loved his smile and the quiet way he would look at everyone and just take everything in. While at the hospital,I listened to Jana talk about how he took care of her when John died. I watched him with you Mike and saw the tremendously deep relationship you shared. I also know how much he loved you Jen, because I could hear it in his voice whenever I asked him how you were doing. Justin's character was a testament to the wonderful parents you both were. The world has lost someone who can never be replaced but his memory will live with those who loved him forever. I pray that you will find comfort in God's promise of eternity. We love you! Steve and Carla"
"jennifer i am so sorry for your loss. be strong and as hard as it may be have faith in god now. i met you a little over 20 years ago when you were just pregnet for justin and know how proud of him you are. you and all of your family are in my prayers. god bless you . love sonia"
"Our thoughts and prayers are with you in your tragic loss of Justin. He was in school 2 years behind our son Nick who passed away Aug.1 in an auto accident. We share your grief. Just know Justin has gone Home to the Lord and his spirit will be with you always. We had an Easter Lilly bloom outdoors last week (both our birthdays) that only blooms in April usually; another reminder of eternal life. Sincerely, Steve and Kathy Linvill"
"I'm so sorry. I wish I knew what to say. "
"Jennifer and Mike: We are cousins of Rachel, Wendy, and Ryan. We want to say we are very sorry about Justin. He was such a great person. We want you to know that our family is thinking about your family, and your in our prayers and thoughts! Kelli, Brandon and Bryce"
"Jennifer, My thoughts and prayers are with you.Gayle"
"Dear Mike & Lisa,Please accept our deepest condolences during this most difficult time. Although we had never met Justin, our hearts are saddened by your profound loss. Please know that we care deeply and that we are here if you need anything. You are in our prayers.Tim & Marcia Meyer"
"JENNIFER I AM SORRY FOR YOUR LOST,MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYS ARE WITH U . DOUG"
"Justin was a good friend of mine as well as a lot of others. He will be greatly missed, and my thoughts and prayers are with your family. He was an amazing individual, fun, loving, and one of the greatest friends to have around. He'll never be forgotten. "
"If tears could build a stairway,And memories a lane,I'd walk right up to HeavenAnd bring Justin home again.I'm so sorry , I will miss his smile."
"Jennifer and family, we are so sorry for the loss of your son. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. sincerely, John and Kathy"
"Jennifer, we were so very sorry to hear about Justin. You are in our thoughts and prayers."
"To the family of Justin, I hope God will be with you and that you can all somehow find peace in your hearts knowing that there is a "master plan" that we do not yet know. Im a salesman at R and D Motorsports, Justin would come in and hang out and thats how we became friends. I want to share a few memories that will always be with me of him. My dog died in April this year, Justin knew what he meant to me, stopped into R and D and saw i was gone. I had gone home early to bury him so he showed up and helped me. Also about a month ago I had a bonfire at my house and needed firewood. I called him from work and asked him where I could get some. He said dont worry about it, hed have it there by the time I got off that night, and it was. He would do anything for anyone, Justin was such a caring and unselfish friend. He will be missed by us all."
"Hi Mike..Rene' and I are so very sorry for your loss. I know no words can possibly give comfort to you at this time, so I won't even try to say anymore than our thoughts, and prayers are with you. This goes for Justin's mother too. As family, please know we love you, and are heartsick for you. Love, Vicki"
"I am so so sorry to hear the news. There is nothing I can say to stop your pain. Since my 17 year-old son died in 1986, I've had the privelage (assignment from God) of "just being there" for many, many people who've walked in our shoes, but still, I know that there is nothing I can say to stop your pain. I thank God for the 17 years I had with my Terry, he would have turned 40 this year! So many memories. I went to Coesse with Jana and all through high school with John and Jana. My heart aches for you. Please be strong, don't lose your faith...God will get you through this. Take care and God bless you all - during this painful time and forever. Love."
"Words escape you when something like this occurs, I hurt along with everyone else and wish I could fix it. I can only give words of encouragement and good memories of Justin to the family. One of the things Justin and I have in common is we have the same birthday. We discussed last year that we would go out for lunch and celebrate this year, since it seems having a late December our birthdays get lumped in with Christmas.I'll never forget the look on his face each year when the time came for Mike and Justin to come in and get his new bike for the upcoming mx season. Needless to say he was stoked...I'll miss you coming in to the store and hanging out...we will continue to pray for the family, God Bless"
"I love you very much and my thoughts and prayers are with you. "
"We love you and our thoughts and prayers are with you."
"Jennifer - I am so saddened by your loss & my heart is truly breaking for you. I know Justin meant the world to you. You were a great mom to him & I am sure he always knew that. You are in my thoughts & prayers. Please call me if you ever need a shoulder."
"I went through school with Justin and even though I didn't know him as well as I would have liked to, he was definitely a great person to be around. I'm so sorry for your loss, it completely blows my mind how things happened. Your entire family is in my thoughts and prayers while you deal with this tough time. I know that Justin will always be loved and missed by the many people who he met during his lifetime. "
"My daughters and I are so sorry to hear about Justin. My oldest daughter, Jenny was in his class. Justin and Ryan spent alot of time at our house in 8th grade and some of 9th grade riding their bikes over to hang out. He was such a sweet boy!! Always respectful!!! Justin used to always tease Jenny and tell her that when he got old enough he was taking me to the prom. Boy, she'd get mad!!!!! We want you to know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Take care, Sherri, Jenny and Nicole "
"I am so truly sorry for your loss. I wish there was a way to help ease the pain you are feeling. I hope it helps you to know that Justin touched the hearts of everyone he knew. He was a good friend to Whitley and a wonderful classmate to Jordan. I had the honor of getting to know him while he hung out with Whitley and he was truly a wonderful, kind hearted young man. He will forever be in our hearts and we are thankful that he was a part of our lives. Whitley will miss and love him always. You are in our thoughts and prayers. May God bless and comfort you. Alysia Pfeiffer "
"Jen and Mike, our hearts haver been with you and there are no words to tell you how so we are. We are here for anything you might need. Justin will be in our hearts forever as well as everyone that knew him. Thoughts and prayers, Wendy, G ma Karen, Rachel, Ryan, Julie, & Jordan"
"Jennifer, I was shocked and deeply saddened to hear of your loss. Of course, I never had the pleasure of meeting your son and I cannot imagine the sorrow that you and your entire family feel. God must have a plan for that special young man and someday you will find just what it was. To you, Justin's father and all family members, my thoughts and prayers be with you all.Shawn MacFarlaneAdmiral Petroleum Co."
"My name is Laurie "Honeick" Snyder. I grew up across the road from Maggie and Charlie up on the Bair road 40 some yrs ago. I was unaware that Justin, a good friend of my youngest daughter LIndsey Snyder, who also graduated this yr with Justin, was related to Maggie and Charlie's family til just yesterday. I am so very sorry, my daughter Lindsey is heartbroken about this as well. She said he was an awesome guy and a good friend. Please know that your family is in my thoughts and prayers. God bless you! Love Laurie, Lindsey and Shannon Snyder"
"Jen & Mike, Iam so sorry for your lost, my thoughts and prays are with you. Stephanie"
"To the Entire WilcoxsonFamily;May each of you find courage to face tomorrow as you rest in the knowledge that we truly care about each of your needs and that we will walk beside you in your journey of grief. Randy Grimes and the Staff of DeMoney-Grimes Funeral Home "