Clay Shepard - Brutally Honest Obituary Of Son's Death Goes Viral

I have been to a good number of funerals due to overdose. My uncle died of an overdose. Two years ago my father (who is a paramedic) responded to an overdose in Lower Merion, which is a suburb of outside Philadelphia. He had no idea that he was calling the death of a friend who had gone home to Lower Merion to visit his family. All of the sudden, my friend was gone.

Writing obituaries to these deaths is hard. We want to remember the good times, and not let the pain and torment of an unnecessary death blind us from all the beauty these people once brought to the world.

I, as I am sure many of the people reading this, have been left angry at these funerals. "Why didn't they just ask for help?" I try my best not to let the anger blind me of the truth. Drug addicts have no intention of putting their loved ones through pain. Most of the time, they just didn't know another way.

That is what makes this obituary so heart-wrenching. The parents of this seemingly handsome and kind young man took the opportunity to use their son's obituary as a means to reach out to other young people who may be struggling.

To all those who are struggling, you don't need to die. Addiction kills people, lots of people, many of whom could have lived amazing lives if they were able to grasp recovery.

We are sad to see this young man go. Hopefully, the words of his obituary can touch at least one person and can convince them to reach out and get help.

Love and respect. - The Sober Nation Team

Our charismatic and beautiful son and brother died Sunday morning from a drug overdose. Clay was the youngest of four children, raised in a loving home in Apex with two brothers and one sister. Outwardly Clay looked like he had it all: Intelligence, confidence, athletic ability, height, beautiful blue eyes, broad smile, fantastic wit, and the ability to engage and forge a relationship with anyone. Inwardly Clay was sensitive and had struggles that he hid well from his close and clannish family.

We loved Clay with all of our hearts, but we now know that was not enough to shield him from the world. This note isn't an attempt to assign blame for Clay's death. It's not to vent our anger and frustration at a world where drugs can be ordered and delivered through the internet. We write this obituary in hope that it may provide an insight to those that need to change their behavior one night at a time. 

Clay was a solid student, decent athlete, and a very likeable kid. With his seemingly endless positive traits, he had the potential to be anything from a captivating politician to a brilliant engineer, but drugs began to creep into Clay's life while he was in high school. As trouble hit, his father stepped in and forged an incredible bond with Clay. Although Clay could never be completely honest about the trouble he was in, his love and respect for his father became a lifeline over the last few years. He successfully completed drug rehab several times, but the craving that comes from true addiction was more than he could overcome. 

While we always felt we had some grip on Clay's issues, his ability to hide and disguise his addiction proved superior to our parental (and sibling) sixth sense. The worry that we have felt watching Clay struggle, has been replaced by a deep feeling of loss that now exists knowing we will never see his smiling face again. Despite these troubles, we can smile knowing that the last communication we had with Clay was a text and answer between mother and son to say "I love you", just as it should be.

To all children, this note is a simple reminder that there are people who love you, with everything they have and no matter what you do - don't be too afraid/ashamed/scared, too anything, to ask for help. To all parents, pay attention to your children and the world that revolves around them - even when the surface is calm, the water may be turbulent just beneath. Clay's struggles have ended. He is finally at peace. We will miss his keen sense of humor, impersonations, cooking, plant advice and rhythm on the dance floor. 

Goodbye Clay, we love you and miss you dearly. 

Mom & Dad, Cole, Wade & Jess, Jean & Lucas