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Wednesday December 18, 2024 

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Our Children

Click on a name below to see their page

 

Danielle McCarthy
Washington

Christi Nowak
Georgia

Anke Furber
Georgia

Levi Wren
Washington

Ephrain Schultz
New York

Mark R Ellis
Rhode Island

Sean P. Efford
New Mexico

Caitlyn Brady
New Hampshire

Katty McGuire Andrea
Washington

JP Faulk
Florida

Michael Miller
Massachusetts

Chuck Tabaka
Wisconsin

Miranda Daly
California

Jamie Leavitt
Washington

Kaylin Marie Mathews
California

RJ Davis
Alabama

Billy Grandchamp
Rhode Island

Nicholas Werhofnik
Georgia

Rebecca Marks
New York

Dustin Kueter
South Dakota

Chase Denver Julian
Louisiana

Katelynn Porter
Ontario,Canada

Tony Trujillo
Colorado

Billy Joe Towle Jr.
Michigan

Kelley Wilson
Alabama

Rhiannon Fraser
Florida

Vivianna Satterfield
New Mexico

Kelli Laine Lewis
South Carolina

Taylor Smith
Georgia


Danielle cherished family, friends and life. She had her whole life planned out; her husband, number of kids, two dogs and would be a dermatologist, a career where she could help others but have time for her family.
Christi had just enrolled in college. She just began taking First Baptist Church shuttles downtown every Thursday to befriend the homeless. Just chit chatting with them and letting them know they had a friend. In her journals, she was determined to turn her life around and she started by helping others. She volunteered often for the M.U.S.T. Ministries to help set up their clothing shop for the homeless and the children's center. She helped cooked their meals. She helped do their laundry. She wanted to go into a field helping others. She would have changed at least one person's life, for the better, when they thought there was no more hope. She didn't show up last Thursday. She died.
In the months before she was killed, 21-year-old Anke Furber had been acting scared and she seemed to know she was in danger. Several days after Furber's charred remains were discovered in a small vineyard in Norcross, Anke's mom, Ria, found a note in Anke's desk at home in Marietta. In it, Anke seemed to foreshadow her own death. She wrote, "My parents would surely grieve the loss of their wonderful daughter whose craziness would soon lead to her slaughter". Ria isnt sure exactly when the note was written, but believes it was written in a close time frame to the actual murder.
At 22 years old, Levi had goals and ambitions of being a business owner, a husband and a father. He loved his family and friends with everything in him and would do anything for you. His shyness and manners we're a shining attribute to who he was. Unfortunately, Levi befriended someone who for nearly three years took advantage of his kindness and when asked to leave his home, he killed him. If he would have just walked out the door as asked, Levi would still be here today. We'll never know all the wonderful things that Levi would have accomplished, but we know he was a "Friend" till the end.
Ephraim was 21 yrs old when he prematurely transitioned to the other side. He was a very warm hearted young man. And was always available to help friends and family. As his cousin Ben said about him: "You can lay a 1,000. on the table and know completely that Ephraim would have never taken it". He spent most of his days at Antique World in Clarence , NY which was owned and operated by his Uncle. That was my sons world. A world he will no longer be able to participate in. He is sorely missed by his family and friends.
Mark suffered a brain injury at the age of 19 the night of a high school prom. Mark died at the age of 25. Life was hard for Mark, he lived an aphasic life. Mark struggled to relearn his alphabet and to speak again. Neuro rehab, drug rehab, jails, institutions and death. Mark was disabled and a fighter all at the same time. College, heavy equipment operator, volunteering were all part of these six years. Mark loved kids and wished he had one. Due to the selfish reasoning of his so called friends, Mark will never be able to achieve his dreams that he fought so hard for. Mark's struggle is over !! PEACE..........
His friends describe him as a kind, warm hearted, full of energy, always smiling, and a very silly young man. They also said that whenever Sean walked into a room that he had the ability lighting up the room because he was full of life and energy! He loved his dad, his mom, and his sister very much. He had a very special bond with his great grandma Efford and his great aunt Charlene whom also up in heaven with him. A warm hug from Sean was just another way that he showed his affection to his family and friends
When Cayte was in the middle school she was on the track team, she was a cheerleader for the Nor-Roc Vikings, she was on a soccer team, and she loved attending the dances at the Sad Cafe. When she went to high school, all of those activities stopped. The sad reason was because she was too old. All the kids have, once they reach high school, are the woods and the homes of friends when the parents are at work. If she had activities to do after school when she went to high school, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
From her birth to her passing Katty touched so many lives. Not only did her family have the joy of watching her grow from a 6 pound baby girl to a beautiful young woman, but so many others did as well. The lives she touched are too many to fathom. Her beauty and grace preceded her where ever she went. Her heart was made of fine gold and she cared for others always before herself. She was not just special to all of us but to the Lord who saw fit to call her home at such a young age. Her mansion was ready! When we think of Katty now we all can be at peace because we know she is with her Lord, never to face this harsh world we live in day to day. She is with us always when we remember her smile, her touch, and her kind words. We all had the pleasure of being touched by an ANGEL!
We want our son's name to be Remembered and to bring hope and joy out of something that has been the darkest and heartbreaking days of our families life. JP was very out spoken and we have decided to be that way on this site and to be his voice about the drug companies and the public official's that sit back and do nothing. If we could save one person from what our family had to go Through and is still going Through, it would be all worth it We will not stop until the truth gets out. We want his memory to live on.
Time has gone by so quickly and it seems like we haven't seen your face in forever. Our hearts are broken, our tears flow so freely and our souls feel empty. Michael, you left us with so many happy memories but the memories can never take your place. We know you and your uncle Sam are saving a place for those who cherished you the most.
Two weeks before he died, Chuck called me on the phone. He was excited to tell me he was joining the National Guard. He had begun to think about being a History Teacher. He planned to attend school after basic training. He also mentioned a new girlfriend. He was pretty crazy about her but wanted to give things a little more time before making her "meet the parents". Still, we made plans to meet for lunch once July wound down. He thought we might all get together and told me not to worry, he had a job and would help pay the check. The first time I met the young lady he was so crazy about was as she cried herself senseless over his casket. She laid a broken heart chain and necklace across his hands. She wore the mating half around her slender neck. Her courage in court helped to solidify the deal that sent a drug dealer to prison. I hope she, and Chuck's other friends, make the right decision and swear off drug use so we may never see their faces on these pages.
Everyone ever touched by Miranda. This will be a tribute to the life she lived. She was the most remarkable and inspirational woman I have ever known. I was in awe of my own daughter. Even as her mother, her beauty took my breath away, and as she walked this earth from her crawling stages to adulthood her beauty from the inside amazed me. Miranda loved about every living thing and each friend she had she made her relationship with them special and unique.
Jamie was a very loving son, brother, grandson, nephew, boyfriend and friend.. Most importantly he was the best father anyone could have asked for.. Even though he was only 16 when he was taken away from us from his so called friend, he did everything for his daughter and mother of his daughter  that he had asked to marry him when he turns 18.. Jamie was the type of kid that would take his shirt off his back for anyone that needs it..  Jamie died on April 23, 2008.. If only his so called friend (29 yrs old), his mother and the other people at the home called 911 instead of waiting 3 hours, he would still be here with us today.. Jamie's dad passed away Nov 2005 and he had a hard time dealing with loosing his father and could not believe he was gone.. Well now Jamie is at home with his dad..Until we meet again... I am proud of you my son..Love you always and forever, Mommy
Kaylin Marie Mathews was born on a Tuesday March 1, 1988. Kaylin was my oldest child and my only daughter. She could play the piano, guitar, and drums and loved to sing. She had been "spinning records" the last few years and loved to mix music. She had been working as a d.j. at the time of her death and was very good. Kaylin was an only child for 71/2 years. She has one brother and one sister. She was a talented writer. She made jewelry and she could draw. There was nothing that my baby couldn't do, if she wanted to. Kaylin was left to die in a ravine on June 30, 2008. She was found on July 1, 2008. Her date of death is listed as a Tuesday July 1, 2008. She was 20 years old. I miss her every second of every day. The world lost an amazing talent and an amazing young woman. I lost a part of my heart.
R.J. was truly a blessing in our lives. He was the kind of son that most parents only dream of having. He always respected and obeyed his parents and never got in trouble. RJ was never in trouble in his life RJ always called home to let us know where he was and when he would be home. When he was missing and we couldn't reach him on his cell phone, we knew immediately something terrible was wrong. This is a nightmare that no parent should have to go through and we are living it. Our concern is not what we are going through, but what our son had to go through in his final moments of life.
William Michael Grandchamp better known as Billy, was born Nov 7,1979. HE was a only child. Billy had many friends. Billy often told his friends that his MOM was his best friend. Billy liked to collect sports attire like jerseys and sports caps.Everything he wore had to match. He was meticulous with his clothing, car, and home. Although, Billy had no children of his own he loved children. He told me his greatest wish was to find a good girl and settle down and have a family. That seemed to be very important to him. Even at a young age he had a gift with children. Billy's friends have always commented on how good he was with their children and how their children loved him. Billy was loved by so many people. He had over 800 friends and family members at his wake. Billy will be greatly missed by all his family and friends.
Chase lived life spontaneously with the freedom of a butterfly – a free spirit & soul – no one could hold him down, except his baby girl. She was his LIFE. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her, including getting clean. Chase was clean 1.5 yrs, after 6 months in residential rehab in New Orleans, continued with NA meetings, substance abuse group counseling, and sought out a Navy recruiter who told him all he would have to do to be eligible. He seemed to be on his way, until he fell off the wagon 12 days out of jail. Turning to heroin again to deal with stress was the mistake of his life. “Chase’s Story” is shared with you on his main page. Thanks for taking time to read it. Sincere and heartfelt thanks to the FDLFD Family for taking us under their wings. “They will sing me to them, and I will hear.” ~RIP Chase~4evrYng~1985-2009
Katelynn Lillian Porter, 16, of West Elgin, was killed in a car crash on Dunborough Rd. in Elgin County. “In loving memory of Katelynn Porter. 12/12/09. 9:40 p.m.” is written between two hearts on the roadside memorial, a makeshift cross. Porter was a student at West Elgin secondary school, where officials are trying to come to grips with the news of her death, especially so close to Christmas.
Tony passed away 10 days after his 16th birthday. He asked permission to spend the night at his friends and I told him yes. I told him" I love you" and he replied "I love you too Mom. Tony was the kid who wanted to make everyone laugh. He had such a wonderful sense of humor and a big heart. He would talk to his friends for hours trying to help them solve their problems. He was a loving big brother, and a wonderful son. He would help you with anything without even being asked. Tony was an extremely intelligent child. He was always placed in advanced classes. A week before he passed we received a letter from Columbine informing us that Tony was nominated to participate in their advanced English Program. He had a gift for writing stories.
She loved all things technical and mechanical with her older brother Ian and fashion and decorating days with her older sister Genevieve. She loved Gothic country art, the workings of the human body, video games, driving and her new tattoo machine. She loved swimming and surfing. She loved all things living and loved her dog Timpleton and her parrot Thermopolis. She had a strong heart and soul, was an independent and progressive thinker, open minded and a will power like no one else. Her favorite place to go was Barnes and Noble.
Vivianna Satterfield was 15 years old! Vivi was the type of young lady that put other people in front of herself. She would always say "Peace and Love".
Kelli Laine Lewis is my only daughter. Kelli died when she was 18 after attending a party hosted by 3 adults who offered a $5.00 entry fee to come and drink all you wanted. A pretty tempting offer for teens not old enough to buy alcohol.
Growing up – she had it all. She was smart and witty - she could come up with a jovial comeback in almost any conversation or situation. She wShe was smart and witty - she could come up with a jovial comeback in almost any conversation or situation. She was always photographing everything and always laughing. She had an infectious laugh, loud and squeaky, but incredibly endearing. Taylor was a huge fan of Tyler Perry’s Madea. She owned every play and knew every word to every gospel song in the plays. She would sing them at the top of her lungs to anyone that would listen. as always photographing everything and always laughing. She had an infectious laugh, loud and squeaky, but incredibly endearing.
He went out THE FIRST TIME to celebrate being "LEGAL" with a creep he considered a friend (even though we warned him this guy was not a true friend). My son did not drive so he was picked up about ten thirty. Even when it was obvious my son was having difficulties this creep brought him to his own house , which is 4 houses away for a few hours, and dropped him off here at home in the middle of the night WITHOUT KNOCKING OR CALLING OR WAKING US UP. We found Ben in his bed the next morning when we tried to wake him.

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The Compassionate Friends

The Compassionate Friends
Atlanta Area Chapter Resource Page

 

In Loving Memory of

Anke Furber

 

For the 2nd time I attended the TCF National Conference in Portland, OR.

This time around I flew to Portland wearing the Friendsdontletfiendsdie.com t-shirt on the plane and got lots of comments. I also saw many people just glancing, turning away without asking - maybe they were afraid to ask.....


If you don't know what I'm referring to, please visit www.friendsdontletfriendsdie.com During the Conference people stopped me in the halls asking me to turn around so that they could read the back as well. 


Lucky me I had the two available t-shirts and so could alternate without smelling too much.

There were many workshops to attend. One was of particular interest to me. It was called "Death From The Disease Of Addiction" . The presenter lost her adult son who was addicted to  heroin and alcohol - it was a very powerful and emotional workshop. Because I wasn't feeling well I sat all the way in the back (wearing the friends t-shirt of course) but sitting there gave me a good view of the packed room. When she told about her sons addiction, the in-and-out of jail stuff and the rehabs I saw many heads nodding - WE ALL KNEW WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT. 


All of you who are reading my blogs do know that I've never been in denial about Anke's drug-use. Hey, what's the point in being in denial, it only gives you more headaches to deal with. And so, strange as it sounds, I felt "at home" in that room with all those bereaved parents whose child died of the disease of addiction.

All of us whose childs death is drug-related have struggled with questions like
Disease or moral failing?
Shame?
Enabling?
Vicious cycle?
And many more.

Then of course for me the criminal aspect. The way the dets. 'treat' the 'victim survivors' as we are called. The presenter touched that briefly too and again I saw many nodding heads.

After the workshop I walked up to her and told her a little bit about the friendsdontletfriendsdie team. She had green and purple bracelets, similar to the blue and white the TCF people wear - similar to the yellow bracelets too - people wear those to support a cause. Hers read "NO SHAME OR BLAME - JUST LOVE" - I've been wearing mine since Portland. 

I've known for a long time (I'm sure many of you do too) that addiction is a disease which is very difficult to treat.  


We who lost a child due to drugs are getting the 'she/he-asked-for-it' treatment from
the dets. Some dets. don't even want to say the name of your child, they just say 'your son or your daughter'.........


Please don't let your death be "drug-related".......... there may never be an investigation and maybe put in the very bottom drawer of the dets. desk. In Anke's case there was an investigation but the case was declared a 'cold case' eight months after her death.................  

We need to educate a lot of people about drugs - preferably starting in elementary school. 


We also need to do a lot of reseach about why one person smokes pot and never feels the need to try hard drugs or just once and is able to quit, while others keep on pushing the envelope and need to explore starting doing hard drugs.

Drugs happen in the best of families, rich or poor, white or black, religious or not, gay or lesbian..................drugs don't discriminate.

All in all I'm glad I attended the National Conference and will attend the next one again.


Ria - mom of Anke. 

 

The Compassionate Friends
Atlanta Area Chapters

Marietta Chapter:
Kathy Kelcourse 770-579-3512
Erica Beltz 678-891-7479


Grief support after the death of a child
The mission of The Compassionate Friends is to assist families toward the positive resolution of grief
following the death of a child of any age and to provide information to help others be supportive.

The Compassionate Friends is a national nonprofit, self-help support organization that offers friendship,
understanding, and hope to bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings.
There is no religious affiliation and there are no membership dues or fees.

The secret of TCF's success is simple: As seasoned grievers reach out to the newly bereaved,
energy that has been directed inward begins to flow outward and both are helped to heal.
The vision of The Compassionate Friends is that everyone who needs us will find us and everyone who finds us will be helped.

This web site is dedicated to those who have experienced the death of a child or sibling.
If you are in that situation, we want to help.

 

 

The Compassionate Friends

http://www.compassionatefriends.org/

The Compassionate Friends Atlanta Area Chapters:

http://www.tcfatlanta.org/

Marietta Chapter:
Kathy Kelcourse  770-579-3512
Erica Beltz           678-891-7479

 

 

Police identify burned body from vineyard

By Andria Simmons
Staff Writer
andria.simmons@gwinnettdailypost.com


LAWRENCEVILLE -- Police have identified the body of a woman whose burnedbody was found in a Norcross vineyard as 21-year-old Anke Marjon Furberof Marietta.


There are few clues about Furber and why she ended up in Norcross,authorities said. Several children, ages 8 and 10, were picking grapeswith their parents at 3066 Reps Miller Road when they stumbled upon thebody Sunday afternoon, No one had reported Furber missing. Instead, the remains were identified after police matched up Furber's fingerprints in the Automatic Fingerprint Identification System -- a national database of fingerprints from people who have been arrested for a criminal offense.


Officer Darren Moloney, spokesman for the Gwinnett County Police Department, said he did not know what charge Furber had been convicted of, but she had no criminal history in Gwinnett.
"It is our policy that we don't go into the criminal backgrounds of our victims," Moloney said. Furber is Dutch. Moloney did not know her immigration status.


Authorities are still withholding the cause of death; however the casehas been ruled a homicide.


Anyone with information that may lead to an arrest in the slaying isasked to call the Gwinnett Police 24 hour non-emergency number at 770-513-5100 and ask for a homicide investigator.



 

Parents say slain 21-year-old knew she was in danger

By Andria Simmons
Staff Writer
andria.simmons@gwinnettdailypost.com

LAWRENCEVILLE -- In the months before she was killed, 21-year-old Anke Furber had been acting scared and she seemed to know she was in danger, her parents said.


Several days after Furber's charred remains were discovered in a small vineyard in Norcross, Furber's mother, Ria Coesel, found a note in her daughter's desk at their home in Marietta. In it, Furber seemed to foreshadow her own slaying. Furber wrote "my parents would surely grieve the loss of their wonderful daughter whose craziness would soon lead to her slaughter."


Coesel isn't sure exactly when the note was written, but she believe sit was penned recently.


Coesel said her daughter battled a drug problem from an early age. Recently, she had been spending more and more time at home taking walks, riding her bicycle and reading. The behavior was unusual, because Furber usually spent a lot of time away from home with friends.


"She was very scared. She was afraid," Coesel said. "When we ask her what she was afraid of, or who, she just said I have a problem. She never ever said anything. Maybe she was afraid we would be involved."
Police and Furber's family believe her addiction may have been her downfall, putting her into contact with dangerous people who may have had a motive to kill her. Although Furber had been trying to stay clean from methamphetamine, she sometimes relapsed, Coesel said.
"She never completely quit using, and I know that and I cannot change that, but she tried," Coesel said. "We kept the door open that she could always come home. We wouldn't let her fall down."


No one is certain of Furber's comings and goings during her last days alive. Coesel had gone to visit her family in the Netherlands, and herU.S.-born husband was vacationing with his brother in Seattle. Furber'sfather spoke with her on the phone Sept. 22 and 23.


Police believe Furber disappeared on Sept. 24.


The following day, several children, ages 8 and 10, were picking grapes with their parents at 3066 Reps Miller Road in Norcross when they stumbled upon a burned body in the vineyard. Police were able to identify the remains as Furber through fingerprint analysis.


Investigators have not released the cause of death and they don't know the motive. They are still awaiting toxicology test results, said Det.G. Lorenzo of the Gwinnett County Police Department.


"She was involved in some things," Lorenzo said. "It could be drugs, it could not. It could be a jealous boyfriend or something. I know she had issues with drugs. That's a real bad type of thing to get into because people unfortunately will kill you over half a joint."


Lorenzo said the fact that no one was aware of Furber's comings and goings prior to her death has made the investigation more difficult.

Anyone with information that may lead to an arrest in the slaying is asked to call the Gwinnett Police 24-hour nonemergency number at770-513-5100 and ask for a homicide investigator.


 

Cause of death disclosed in unsolved murder case

By Andria Simmons
Staff Writer
andria.simmons@gwinnettdailypost.com

LAWRENCEVILLE --Police initially kept under wraps the cause of death in the case of a 21-year-old woman whose burned body was found in a private vineyard in Norcross.

But almost four months have passed without any solid leads, and now more details are becoming available.

Anke Furber, 21, died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to her mother, Ria Coesel of Marietta.

Coesel said police have given her the green light to talk more freely about her daughter's death in hopes that someone will come forward with new information. She is concerned that without any fresh information, her daughter's case will soon be forgotten.

"There is nothing going on in the case, and I don't want it to be placed on the back burner," Coesel said. "I want people to work on it, so it is not going to disappear."

Coesel even plans to contact the television show "America's Most Wanted" in an attempt to get her daughter's story aired before national audience.

Investigators have used home telephone records to contact some of Furber's friends, none of whom have provided any solid leads, said Detective Gilberto Lorenzo of the Gwinnett County Police Department in an interview last month. Lorenzo could not be reached for comment Monday.

The only possible suspect mentioned by Furber's acquaintances is a man nicknamed "D" who used to provide her with drugs, but investigators have been unable to discover that man's true identity, Coesel said.

Furber battled a drug addiction from an early age. Family members said she was trying to stay clean from methamphetamine in the months before she died. Toxicology tests showed no drugs or alcohol in Furber's system at the time of death, Coesel said.

Two children picking grapes with their parents off Reps Miller Road in Norcross stumbled upon Furber's charred remains on Sept. 25, 2005.Furber lived with her parents in Marietta and had no known ties to Gwinnett County.

No one is certain of Furber's comings and goings during the final days of her life. Coesel had gone to visit her family in the Netherlands, and her U.S.-born husband was vacationing with his brother in Seattle. Furber's father last spoke with her on the phone Sept. 23.

Police think she probably disappeared the following day.
Coesel believes someone knows more about her daughter's death, and she is increasingly frustrated by the lack of clues. The past few months have been the most difficult Coesel and her husband have ever experienced, she said.

"You would at least think if people don't want to talk, maybe they will say something anonymously," Coesel said. "That's what I would do if I knew something. It is a shame."

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Lorenzo at the Gwinnett County Police Department at 770-513-5318.

 




Click above to visit Anke's MySpace site

 

Ria Coesel - mom of Anke Furber and DD Flynn - mom of Christi Nowak

National Night Out Against Crimes and Drugs.  Woodstock, Georgia 

 August 7, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

Friendsdontletfriendsdie.com Copyright 2007