John David Stark
1984- 2005

John's Story

By Erika French (John's mom)

John was 20 when he was killed in a car accident on January 17, 2005. John and his friend were on their way to go snowboarding, John was wearing his seatbelt, and the driver of the car was not speeding. In other words, they were not doing anything wrong. Because the road was very icy, the driver lost control of the car and slid into oncoming traffic. John was pronounced dead at the scene.

John was full of life. He was always on the go, looking for adventure. He was into extreme sports and was always trying new things. His last craze was snowboarding. He was fearless. He did not believe in letting fear rule a person. He was also a prankster. He loved to get a laugh out of people. He also had a very deep sensitive side, which not a lot of people saw.

John knew that I loved him and worried about him, as all mothers do. He was very respectful of my feelings. He and his friends called me Mrs. John's Mom. I was watching him turn from a sometimes rebellious youth into a responsible young man. I was very proud of the life lessons he was learning and the direction his life was heading.

When I took John to get his learner's permit, he wanted to know what it meant to be an organ donor. I told him, and John signed up to donate his organs. I always believed in organ donation, and he liked the idea. I remember coming home from the DMV and being amazed that this sometimes cocky kid would actually consider something so serious and life saving. I was really proud of him. He would amaze me like that sometimes. Most of the time he was carefree and happy-go-lucky, but he had a very sweet and soft side that he would let people see every once in a while. John's organs were donated, and the link below will take you to a news story done about all of this. If you would like, please click on this link and watch the news story.

John will be forever missed and loved. I am grateful and proud to have been his mother and to have been blessed with his life that was just too short.