Remembering Brandon

Godspeed Little Man

Brandon Michael Austin was born in Wakefield, RI on September 11, 2000.  From the time he started school and learned about the events that occurred on THE September 11^th (his first birthday), he decided we would always celebrate it the day before or the day after.  He felt very strongly that that day should be one of respect and remembrance for something “bigger” than him.  This should give you a small inkling of what his heart was all about.  Tragically, Brandon was killed while riding a four-wheeler on July 16, 2014 while visiting his grandparents in South Carolina.  Our hearts were broken, our world was forever changed—and we vowed that we had to take the “best” of Brandon, and continue to share his life.   If you knew him, you know that he was an intelligent, happy young man.  He had attitude, much like any other 13 year old boy, but his driving force in life was to make everyone laugh.  He was loyal, trustworthy, and he would always speak the truth from his point of view.

His heart belonged to any animal that wandered into his life.   I have pictures of him as a small toddler feeding a squirrel that had been trapped in our chimney, as well as others of him feeding small ducks that got “lost” in our neighborhood.  Dogs, cats, snakes…he “rescued” any living creature that needed a little help.  He once spent an entire week trying to train a turtle to find the RIGHT way to get to the pond.  The creatures of this world are surely missing the little blonde boy that would always look out for them.

He grew up in Exeter, RI, attending Lineham School, and Wawa Loam Elementary School.  He was a very typical young boy, who loved to play with Legos and cars, and would never go anywhere without one—or both!—stuffed in his pockets.   We moved to South Kingstown, RI when he was in the fourth grade, and he began attending Peacedale Elementary School, and Broadrock Middle School.  While he loved the “woods” of Exeter, he also loved the fact that he could walk the bike path and meet up with friends more easily in South Kingstown.  It was during his middle school years that he developed an interest in basketball.  He retained his love of cars, and began building model cars, adding those to his muscle car collection.

He had an extraordinary sense of humor, and (much of the time to the dismay of his teachers) could make anyone laugh, no matter what kind of day they were having.  He attended Curtis Corner Junior High, where many would say his giggle was contagious, and he “dared to color outside of the lines.”  I like to think that with maturity, he would have channeled it a bit better, but his heart was always in the right place. Nearly every day, he would walk home along the bike path, stopping at the animal shelter and playing a few games of basketball in Fagan Park.  He loved his family and his friends deeply, and although this world only got to experience him for thirteen short years, he left many indelible marks on many different hearts.  In our opinion, the light he shined was so bright, it will never go out.