Nearly 400 red balloons took to the blue skies over State Mutual Stadium on Saturday afternoon in remembrance of loved ones, as Compassionate Friends dedicated its memorial wall near the ballpark.
“That is absolutely beautiful,” said Marie Fuqua as she watched the balloon she released for her son Robert Smith-Fuqua. “You really don’t think about losing a child until it happens to you.”
Fuqua came out to see the brick with her son’s name on it and support others with similar losses.
“My son was killed by a car in front of Coosa Middle School in 2002 where he was walking after a school dance,” Fuqua said. “I thought my life was over when it happened, but someone suggested a Compassionate Friends meeting. … They really taught me how to cope.
“I was with people who went through similar losses,” she added. “And now I just want to be there for people who are dealing with the grief but haven’t gone through the healing process. Helping others has really helped me.”
Nearly 200 other names are etched on the wall — which is at the end of the river walk behind SMS. A group of nearly 300 came out to see the ceremony, share stories and refreshments, and support each other.
“My brother is on that wall,” said Tesa McBurnett. “He died back in March in a car wreck on Rockmart Highway. It’s been a great thing (the wall and ceremony) to get people together and talk about their problems.”
McBurnett said that with the loss of her brother, the holiday season will be a tough time for her family.
“It’s great they did this so close to the holidays to help us cope,” she added.
“It’s going to be hard with Thanksgiving, my mom’s birthday and Christmas coming.”
During the ceremony, the Rev. Jerry Dudley said the wall helps preserve the memories of loved ones.
“This is a place you can come to remember your children,” he said. “This wall was made with hearts and the minds of the moms and dads so that their children would never be forgotten. It’s something you can be proud of and that the city of Rome can be proud of.”
The idea of the memorial wall was sparked in 2003 by members of Compassionate Friends, a self-help support organization for those who have lost a loved one.
The wall still has space for lost loved ones, and commemorative bricks can be commissioned by sending an e-mail to remembermychild@aol.com or by contacting Lee Graves at 706-232-6296.
Bricks can be ordered by family members of the deceased with the approval of family members.
Compassionate Friends meets every second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at Redmond Regional Medical Center in Classroom B.
