To Chris

You never said, “I’m leaving”,
You never said “Good-bye”.
You were gone before we knew it,
And only God knows why.

A million times we’ve needed you,
A million times we’ve cried.
If love alone could’ve saved you,
You never would’ve died.

In life we loved you dearly,
In death we love you still.
In our hearts you hold a place,
No one else will ever fill.

It broke our hearts to lose you,
But you didn’t go alone.
Part of us went with you,
The day God took you home.
We Love You, Chris!

While driving to his work in October 2003, Chris Groom was killed in an auto accident. He was only 19 years old. Just days after this tragedy, the Groom family learned of a selfless gift their son secretly made in the year before he died.
 

After attending services at North Raleigh United Methodist Church during the 2002 Christmas season, Chris handed our Pastor an envelope. “Chris said that his little brothers and sisters were going to have a great Christmas,” the Pastor recalled. “He then asked if I would see to it that some children received Christmas toys using the money inside the envelope.”
 

Although he earned only minimum wage, inside the envelope was $100 in cash, a gift Chris wanted kept secret from everyone, especially his parents, Mike and Suzanne.
 

“The fact that he did it didn’t surprise me because he’s just a good kid and obviously cared for others,” said the pastor.
 

The Pastor stirred many emotions when he tearfully revealed this secret gift at Chris’ funeral. The story so impressed family members and friends that the Groom family was inspired to expand on the gift Chris made, setting up a Memorial Fund in his name to help less fortunate children. Through the Chris Memorial Fund, they hope to grow Chris’ loving gift into a much larger fund for the needy children their son sought to help that Sunday in church.
 

Out of their terrible loss the Groom family has found a way to honor their son and give meaning to the tragedy that took him at such a young age. They invite you to join in their celebration of Chris’ life by your generous donation to the Chris Groom Memorial Fund.