November 10, 2025
​
​Friends -
​
Friends – We are putting pen to paper again as we approach the third anniversary of Braylon’s tragic death. Our family continues to be shattered by the loss of our brother and our son. We do, however, continue to be buoyed by the everlasting love and friendship that flows every day from this gigantic community of people who loved Braylon dearly and who continue to share that love with us.
​
In the year that has passed since we last approached the haunting day of November 11, we have again seen this community support Braylon’s legacy in so many ways. Coach Dobson, Mark Weiser, Christy McIntyre, Janel Kiley, Greg Wilson, and so many others pulled off another amazing Braylon Meade Basketball Classic last December; that same team is again busy planning this year’s third annual, which is only about a month away (12.13.25). Jordan and Carly Rivera did a masterful job coordinating the raffle and half-time shoot outs. The planning team created “Team 22” in remembrance of not just Braylon, but of Nick Rados, who was taken from us by the same scourge of impaired driving, just over a year ago. Mike and Lisa Rados courageously joined us for the Classic and even took the floor with us as we implored all to bring impaired driving to an end. Our hearts continue to break for Mike and Lisa and this community truly misses Nick’s positive energy, passion, and thoughtfulness.​​​
Charlie Taylor and Jack Tsuchitani found time in their academic years as college sophomores to plan and pull off an awesome third annual Ginger Cup golf event, with more than 144 golfers (the max) playing yet again, and with many more attending as spectators. Their parents, Rich and Autumn, Ben and Amy, found time in their busy schedules to assist their sons in this effort (and by “assist” we mean dedicating gobs of time and effort to the Cup). We once again had close friends and family from Michigan, Colorado, and Massachusetts make the trek for this cause. And Charlie delivered the most heart-warming and genuine speech about Braylon that one could offer, as the golf concluded and dinner was consumed. So many others volunteered time for and made contributions to these two events – this letter would go on for about 20 pages if we listed all the volunteers and incredibly generous sponsors of these events. We hope you all accept our “thanks” for all that you did in connection with these gatherings.
​
Rose and I were amazed by Will Taylor, Karenna Wilson, Meri Strazzella and Georgia Hardeman, four Yorktown seniors who planned and then delivered talks about impaired driving, first to the seniors at Yorktown and then to the juniors at Yorktown, right before year-end events were held – events at which impaired driving can occur. Will and Karenna spoke candidly and solemnly about what they went through on November 11, 2022 with their families and they invited us to do the same. They also described the steps they have taken to intervene when friends or peers need to ensure they are not drinking and driving. Delivering such remarks to an auditorium full of one’s peers is no easy feat and we will forever be indebted to the two of them. And to Meri and Georgia, who were wonderful moderators, keeping us all on task. We hope those two talks had some impact in the moment and beyond.
​
We followed the Ginger Cup the next day with the long overdue interment of Braylon’s ashes at the Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington. So many of you joined us for that memorial and nearly all who attended shared – extemporaneously – stories about Braylon and the impact he had on this community. We will cherish each of your words forever, and will think of them every time we visit the cemetery to connect with Braylon.
​
This past year’s Braylon Meade legacy award winners were Will and Karenna, Suma Kulkarni (who supplies the Ginger Cup Michigan hats each year), as well as Emily Brooks and Gabi DeFilippi, who regularly make donations to the Scholarship Fund – donations that bring a smile to our faces whenever we receive the email notification. Our family contributes $2,222 on behalf of each legacy award winner to the Scholarship Funds, simply to say “thank you” for perpetuating Braylon’s legacy (and to continue to grow the funds). The Arlington Community Foundation Funds in Braylon’s name and the University of Michigan Scholarship Fund in his name have grown to just over $1.1MM – an incredible measure of just how generous this community is, and of how Braylon touched so many of us. We should soon get to the point where the balance in the Funds is self-sustaining and permits us to award five scholarships each year for the rest of time.​
​​​
For the third year in a row, Christy and Rebecca Springer organized a day of service, as yet another tribute to Braylon and his sense of giving. Food for Neighbors did not conduct a food drive this November, but Christy has set up a partnership with Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in South Arlington, through which we will had a toiletry drive on that culminated this past Saturday, November 8, 2025. We filled more than 200 bags with necessary toiletries, from shampoo and shaving cream to toothbrushes, toothpaste, and paper towels. Father Tim from Our Lady Queen of Peace joined the 32 of us that gathered on Saturday, and informed us that nearly 1000 needy families visit the church’s pantry each week – families that will benefit from this effort in this time of need. Rebecca organized the collection of donations through Crowell & Moring, with more than $10,000 in individual contributions flowing in from folks at the Firm. Simply amazing – we cannot thank Christy, Rebecca and all the donors enough.
​
Finally, we would like to thank MADD and NHTSA for inviting us to speak during this year’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign and for inviting us to make the rounds with legislators on Capitol Hill. We are all hopeful that the HALT Drunk Driving Act will be fully implemented in the near term – a critical piece of legislation that will reduce substantially the number – currently 12,000 – who lose their lives each year in this country due to impaired driving.
​
And we can’t overlook the incredible acts of kindness by Team Hiskey in our neighborhood. Planting pumpkin seeds by the bench at Fort Smith (inadvertently weed whipped by Kris) and routinely placing flowers and pumpkins at the bench mean so much to us, as do your nearly daily interactions and remembrances of Braylon.
We hold all of these acts of kindness and remembrance dear to our hearts as we continue to try to march along, in Braylon’s absence.​​​
We cannot finish this letter without speaking to you, dear Braylon. This year, Rose and Kris have decided to address you individually, starting with Rose.
​
Rose/Mom: I can’t believe it’s been three years since we laughed and hung out with you, Braylon. Other times, it seems like our grief journey has taken us down a long and winding path. As Dad has written, we are amazed at the continual love and support we feel from our family, friends and community. We are so grateful to you all. When we celebrate and remember your life through the Ginger Cup, day of service, high school assembly and the Basketball Classic, I feel very connected with you. I can’t help but wonder what you would be doing today—turning 21 in December, attending Michigan football games with your friends, vacationing with us and your siblings, dating Tine long distance, and planning your spring 2026 semester abroad. But we all know that’s not happening. Braylon, you remain alive in all of us. Even though three years has elapsed, the pain of losing you gnaws at our hearts, but your spirit drives us forward to serve others and live your legacy. As you would say, “Lock In” there is a lot of need out there. Let’s go make a difference.
​
Kris/Dad: We think of you so often, particularly in this time of immense darkness in our country. The bullying, cruelty, selfishness, retribution, lawlessness, and absence of empathy that are omnipresent these days are so antithetical to your very being and to your essence. Taking a page directly from you, many of us have committed to not being bystanders in this gigantic time of need. When I joined our friends and neighbors, the Killaleas, to participate in the No Kings event in Washington, my mind several times flashed back to you insisting that we join the Black Lives Matter march in DC during the throes of COVID. It seems like just yesterday that you were making your way through the crowd on your bike, holding the BLM sign in the one hand that was not on the handlebars. We are so in need of your deep sense of empathy. Of right and wrong. Of doing the right things and treating people the right way. Of caring for those less fortunate. We would literally give anything to see you with your one hand on those handlebars, again – or to see someone with your sense of empathy with his or her hands on the handlebars of our nation. Our hearts ache for you and for this special community that has been deprived of your presence for almost 1100 days.
One final note from all of us: Our community is also now without Sally Bedell, another amazing Arlington teen who was taken from her family and from all of us way too soon. The deaths of Braylon, Nick and Sally will remain front and center for many of us forever. All of us must strive to make a difference in our worlds – it’s one sure way to perpetuate the legacies of Nick, Sally, and Braylon and to find some light in these dark times, and on the heels of the dark loss of each of you.
​
All the love,
Kris, Rose, Bryan and Kerry