Funeral services were held Thursday for former South Middle School student Weston Powell who drowned June 3. The following is taken from the Joplin Globe internet site:By Melissa Dunson
A sea of T-shirts bearing his face, his name and a collection of his sayings flowed Thursday afternoon into College Heights Christian Church in celebration of a teenager's life.
Hundreds from across the Joplin area showed up to honor the memory of Weston Powell, a 15-year-old Joplin boy who drowned June 3.
The people represented all walks of life. The hair of some was white with age; others sported hair dyed metallic red. They came with lip rings and toddlers, tattoos and Bibles, bandannas and roses. They came in flip-flops and suit jackets. There were skateboarders, high-school students, grandparents and pastors.
They were brought together by a young man who had touched them all.
"That's why you’re all here," said College Heights Christian Church minister Jay St. Clair. "Because for a season you enjoyed a relationship with a 15-year-old boy that was really cool."
Glenn Powell, Weston's father, always said his son was special. He said he was never more sure of that than during the funeral Thursday, when members of his blood family sat next to his skateboard family from The Bridge, a Joplin teen center where he spent most of his free time for the past three years.
"I never knew how many people he drew to himself," Glenn Powell said. "He didn't waste any time, except when he was sleeping. But the rest of the time, he just kept trying to figure out how to make this place brighter.
"Kids are always different at home, but now that I hear all these stories (about Weston), I think that he's been listening to me all along. I've never been so proud of my son in all my life."
Lindsay Matush, a staff member at The Bridge and one of Weston's friends, said he was a friend to all types of people, regardless of their age, race, gender or style, and that his funeral and memorial service showed it. People who normally wouldn't find themselves in a church sat through the funeral service, and people who have never been to a skate park stood on the ramps that were so familiar to Weston during a memorial service later at The Bridge.
Cassady Utley, a friend of Weston's and a native of Webb City, said everyone who met Weston loved him, and he returned the favor. Another friend, Joey Verhaar, of Joplin, said Weston always brought a smile on his face and a good time for everyone.
"That's my homeboy; I'll miss him a lot," Verhaar said of Weston.
During both services, friends and family members shared stories that painted a clear picture of the teen. Weston had a passion for shoes, and he died with 21 pairs in his closet. He loved skateboarding and intended to turn pro after he graduated. Weston won first place in a skateboarding contest at The Bridge in 2005 as a beginner, first place at the Summer Contest Series of 2006 in the intermediate category, and first place at the JoMo Showdown only a month ago as an advanced rider.
He was always asking his parents, Glenn and Michelle, for money because he gave away much of what he owned. From clothes to skateboards, Weston gave to everyone he loved, whether it was a hug and a smile for someone who was down in the dumps, or spending hours cleaning a house for a friend who had wrist surgery.
"If he could have, he'd have given away the shirt off of his back," said Kendra Wilson, one of Weston's neighbors and friends. "There was just something about him. He had this light in his eyes."
As the day memorializing Weston drew to a close, Jeremiah Anderson, manager of the Autumn Ramp Park at The Bridge, gave an altar call to the hundreds attending the celebration-of-life service. Scores of youths responded.
"He had a mission in his short 15 years, and he accomplished it as shown by all of you sitting out there," St. Clair said to the funeral attendees. "He did not die in our timing, but his life will not be wasted."
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