The tables inside the Common Pleas Court room displayed photos and candle for each of the homicide victims of Meigs County.
Brenda Roush served as the key note speaker for the annual ceremony.
POMEROY — As part of the annual recognition of Victims Rights Week, the Meigs County Prosecutor’s Office and Victims Assistance Program held a Crime Victims’ Rights Week Ceremony.
The ceremony included a guest speaker and a candle lighting ceremony to remember homicide victims of Meigs County.
Brenda Roush, was the key note speaker for the ceremony. Roush is the mother of Christopher Roush who was murdered five years ago.
Roush spoke of the pain and difficulty of losing a loved one and the impact of drugs on many of those situations.
“These kids, these adults, do not want to be on drugs,” said Roush.
She spoke of the struggles to get off the drugs once a person becomes addicted. Roush spoke about going through not only one trial, but three, as three people were ultimately convicted in connection with her son’s death.
Roush also encouraged those who have lost loved ones to surround themselves with friends who are there day or night and family who are going through the same thing.
Roush concluded by reading two poems. The first written by a girl who was in prison on meth charges. The poem spoke of the dangers of the drugs.
The second poem was called “If I Knew.” The author of the poem is unknown. It reads,
If I knew it would be the last time that I’d see you fall asleep, I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.
If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door, I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for one more.
If I knew it would be the last time I’d hear your voice lifted up in praise, I would video tape each action and word, so I could play them back day after day.
If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare an extra minute to stop and say “I love you,” instead of assuming you would know I do.
If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day, well I’m sure you’ll have so many more, so I can let just this one slip away.
For surely there’s always tomorrow to make up for an oversight, and we always get a second chance to make everything just right.
There will always be another day to say “I love you,” and certainly there’s another chance to say our “Anything I can do?”
But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get, I’d like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike, and today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.
So if you’re waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today? For if tomorrow never comes, you’ll surely regret the day,
That you didn’t take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss, and you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out to be their one last wish.
So hold your loved ones close today, and whisper in their ear, tell them how much you love them and that you’ll always hold them dear
Take time to say “I’m sorry,” “Thank you,” “Please forgive me,” or “It’s okay.” And if tomorrow never comes, you’ll have no regrets about today.
After Roush spoke, a candlelight memorial was held to remember the homicide victims.
Homicide victims remembered during the candle light memorial included Kenneth Rizer Sr., Doris Jackson, Robert Harrison, Joshua Starcher, Brett Pierce, Dyle Bay, Deborah Ellis, William Underwood, Todd Johnson, Winfield Hardiman, Tommy Parker, Howard Lawrence, Bobbie Butcher, Christopher Roush, Rebecca Ackerman, Keitha Whitlatch, James W. Gardner, Stephanie Ramey, Stephanie English, Jeffrey Halley and Jeffrey Shannon Halley.
Prosecutor Colleen Williams and Victims Assistance Director Theda Petrasko then presented a certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Service on Behalf of Crime Victims to Pomeroy Police Department Lieutenant James Riley.
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