Nathan (Nate) was the third of four children and brought the laughter to our family. He had a funny and joking personality, yet was kind and friendly, which resulted in him having many friends. During his free time, Nate enjoyed longboarding and spent that time with his friends. He was very talented with drawing and was an aspiring artist with plans of attending art school in the future. He left behind his creative work, some of which is displayed on his headstone and around our home. He also had a talent for acting and participated in plays throughout his school years. He had pride in working and earning his own money and enjoyed where he worked.

Nate was out with friends the night before his accident. Just a normal Friday night. For some reason, that night Nate decided he would walk home instead of calling home for a ride. In the early morning hours of July 13, 2013, he was walking down a rural road when he was hit from behind by a truck. Nate was killed instantly from the impact—from the speed and power of the truck—and was found shortly after by another driver. The unknown person who hit Nate did not stop and has not come forward to confess to this day. We do not know the reason why the driver hit Nate. They could have been texting, intoxicated or simply sleepy. Regardless of the reason, the driver was not aware of his or her surroundings while driving and did not take responsibility for their choice of not paying attention.

We want to recognize the importance of not being distracted while you’re driving. Do not speed. Do not text. Be aware of what is around you. Be aware of pedestrians. You could save a life. Our family is forever changed and we miss Nate every day. Because of one choice, he won’t have any more experiences here on earth, such as marriage, kids, etc. We have realized that every day is important. We are so grateful for all the memories we have of our son, brother and friend.