Robert Franklin “Franky” Shim Hazelgrove was a proud member of his high school marching band, in which he played clarinet. He was also a Boy Scout and attended church and Sunday school.

In mid-April 2008, Franky was struck by a car near his hometown while crossing the street to get gasoline to mow the lawn. Only 14, he passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, about a week later on April 24, 2008, having never regained consciousness.

Franky was a young man who enjoyed life to the fullest and found joy in “just being there” for those who needed a friend or to be comforted. A very long line of young people wanted to speak at his service and, without exception, stated how much he had meant to them in times of trouble.

“While there were mixed feelings about donation of his organs, the final decision was based on the fact that he would have wanted to continue helping others, even after his death,” said his grandfather, Robert Hazelgrove. “As a family, we feel that we have honored him and his sweet life by doing what we feel he would have wanted us to do. Our lives have been changed forever – not just by his death, but more importantly, by the way he lived his life among us.”