Remember me when I am gone away Gone far away into the silent land; When you can no more hold me by the hand Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. Remember me when no more day by day You tell me of our future that you planned: Only remember me; you understand It will be late to counsel then or pray. Yet if you should forget me for a while And afterwards remember do not grieve: For if the darkness and corruption leave A vestige of the thoughts that once I had Better by far you should forget and smile Than that you should remember and be sad.
June 2009 / Gaile (Mother) Miss you all the time. xoxox
"In our dreams - I know it! -- we do make the journeys we seem to make: we do see the things we seem to see; the people, the homes, the cats, the dogs, the birds, the whales, are real, not chimeras; they are living spirits, not shadows; and they are immortal and indestructible. They go whither they will; they visit all resorts, all points of interest, even the twinkling suns that wander in the wastes of space. That is where those strange mountains are which slide from under our feet while we walk, and where those vast caverns are whose bewildering avenues close behind us and in front when we are lost, and shut us in. We know this because there are no such things here, and they must be there, because there is no other place."
~Mark Twain
January 2009 / Gaile (Mom) It's hard to believe it 2009 already and much harder to believe how long you've been away from us already. We had snow yesterday. I thought a lot about how much you loved the snow, Lee. After the unbearable task of getting through all the holidays, it's that time of year when too much reflection seems to take place for those of us who've lost a child.
I was happy to spend some time with your brother, his wife, and your niece and nephew during the holidays. Otherwise, I don't know how I would have gotten through the holidays once again. It just doesn't seem to get easier with the years; it gets harder.
I miss you so much. I can't say that enough. Such a simple statement that cannot convey the depth of feeling in my heart to anyone but me. I hope you know how very much you're loved.
Today you flew to the sky... ("Voices of Hope") / Franda Raymer (Fellow ASU parent )
I was so impressed & touched by this site which Gaile made for Lee that I immediately had to make one for my son, also. Today, I was able to pay a tribute to this extraordinary young man myself at the local Voices of Hope celebration for our children who have made their way to Heaven before us. Lee's pictures on the slideshow were touching. But I personally enjoyed the honor of releasing a balloon with his name on it into the sky, as his name was being read aloud to the crowd. So, this afternoon lent yet another chance for a symbol of Lee's spirit to soar into the sky. He was called to his home of eternal love & joy before us. Such loss for us at present time, but such happiness in reunion for us to look forward to! Bless you, Gaile, for the absolute love you have for you son. Just as I know so well myself, there is no deeper love.
I care that today was the last day of your young life Lee. I care that every day of your life mattered and that you lived! I care that you were a wonderful and well loved son. I care that you were a musician. I care that you touched so many many lives and continue to do so today and every day as your legend lives on. I care that you were kind and loving and generous of heart and soul. But most of all I care that you lived. That you had a life yet it was far to short for those of us that care so much our hearts are crying today for your family and friends and for the loss the world has sustained. Not having you here on this earth to grace it with that beautitul smile and the way you made everyone feel special. Why? Because you were so very special and now your legend lives on in our hearts and all that is done in your name for the love of you Lee for you are beautiful in every way always and forever. Always love you, Hummingbird
******
Immortality is the power to inspire someone long after you yourself have transcended the influence of others... Many thanks for the inspiration, Queen Bee
******
Four years have passed and there is not one day I don't miss you so much. I love you, sweet Lee. ~Mom
"I Know You By Heart"
Midnights in Winter The glowing fire Lights up your face in orange and gold.
I see your sweet smile Shine through the darkness It’s like its etched in my memory.
So I'd know you by heart.
Mornings in April Sharing our secrets We'd walk until the morning was gone.
We were like children Laughing for hours The joy you gave me lives on and on.
'Cause I know you by heart.
I still hear your voice On warm Summer nights Whispering like the wind.
You left in Autumn The leaves were turning I walked down roads of orange and gold.
I saw your sweet smile I heard your laughter You’re still here beside me every day.
'Cause I know you by heart,
******
Thinking of you today, Lee. God Bless ~ Jeff's moma~
******
Your legend lives on. You remain in our hearts forevermore Lee. Love, Hummingbird
******
I miss you, sometimes more than ever. Katei
******
thinking of you always, and never forgetting. Jamie
Gaile, When I wrote this poem, in my heart you were there with me as I wrote each line. So I have brought it here for you. Love always, Hummingbird Close
Thank You / David Harrison Levi (NEW Friend )Read >>
Thank You / David Harrison Levi (NEW Friend )
Dearest Gaile; To know love is beautiful, to have been in love is unforgettable, to know how to love is incredible, to be in love is enduring, to walk in love.....Is how I LIVE!
You have a loving and caring soul. Thank you for the information on the passing of Lee. I lost my Father (Simon) last Thursday. It was the saddest day of my life. To lose a beautiful son such as Lee at so young at age must be devastating. My heart and prayers are with you. I would have truly loved to have met him. God bless Lee for he has obviously left his mark on the music world. Respectfully; David Harrison Levi - STARMAKER®™ David Levi Entertainment Worldwide LLC Beverly Hills, CA 90210 USA Personal Management - Music Producer Close
Nothing crazy yet Gaile! Been a really terrible year. Too much happening at one time. Lee and you are never far from my mind. Computer at home died a while ago so I just depend on work one. It's just so hard to keep up anymore and I know you know what I'm talking about my friend. Write back when you get a minute.
Love to you Lee. You are so missed and loved my sweet child.
...letting go but never all the way... / Gaile (Mom) Read >>
...letting go but never all the way... / Gaile (Mom) "...Salt of the waves And of tears And though he pulled away I kept him here for years I let him go
My name is Calypso I have let him go In the dawn he sails away To be gone forever more And the waves will take him in again But he'll know their ways now I will stand upon the shore With a clean heart
And my song in the wind The sand will sting my feet And the sky will burn It's a lonely time ahead I do not ask him to return I let him go I let him go."
oh kindred sister of my heart you have entrusted to me a part of you a part of Lee what you have seen in me made you send such beauty to me my trembling hands my tearful heart did open each package with such love i had seen you had wrapped each with such tender love one each and on it's own apart yet it was the first one that broke my heart when i held a part of your Lee in my hands i could not stand i kneeled in agony of your Lee oh dear lord she has loved him so now sent such an honor to me tears from my heart came pouring forth i cannot tell you how this humbled me true loves ways this is you i know my friends heart was sent to me in each carefully little package wrapped so lovingly i held each with a whisper of a prayer oh how she does know me then as i held the beautiful antique lace i knew i had seen an angels face it is you my friend all within you i have grown to know is within this box i hold so lovingly so i had waited to open it rightfully so i knew somehow you had sent to me something so cherished it was for my eyes to see i cannot thank you enough or tell you how this has affected me just say to you my heart is full of love for you and Lee yes there will be a special ceremony until then he will rest with my love my husband beside him will be a place for Lee until the day comes for the ceremony i hope i pray for peace and love for the sweetest woman i have grown to know yes love you were sent to me from heaven above someone made from the purest of love thank you for all that you do all that you are to me forever my love to you and Lee
sdb 2008 copyright 2008 With all of my love Lee and Gaile, Hummingbird
I now know what was drawing me to get to know you. / Angel Roberson (My daughter is with him now )Read >>
I now know what was drawing me to get to know you. / Angel Roberson (My daughter is with him now )
Wow! Lee you are an wonderful and unique person and I am honored that my daughter Breanna is sharing such an amazing place with such an amazing soul. Your mother is so kind and doing a great job at keeping your memory and your spirit alive. You would be proud at how much hope she has brought to Griefhaven.
Bre was learning to play the guitar for about a yr before she died (and also the flute). She is very smart and very willing to learn. Could you maybe teach her a little something to play for me when I get there one day. She has probably already bugged the snot out of you to help her so you may have already done so. Thankyou in advance.
Gaile, Thankyou for sharing your son with the world, with me. Angel(Breanna's Mom) Close
In Respect of Your Memory / Lori Henderson (Friend)
Lee, I didn't know you personally, but from what I see now, I know how very dear and special you are to all your friends and family. Handsome, smart and talented....I feel lucky to know of you now and so very lucky to have met your wonderful Mom. With Love & Respect, Lori Close
Thanksgiving 2007 / Gaile (Mom)
Dearest Lee, another Thanksgiving without you has passed. I wanted you to know that I actually went to someone's house for Thanksgiving and did normal T'Day things. I thought I held up pretty well. When I got back home, though, I took a breath and realized that it took a lot of energy to get through it. I thought of how much I miss you and your brother and his family.
So....my real celebration was after I got home...watching all the birds; geese flying over; the beautiful clouds; and the way the wind makes that special sound almost like whispering.
I love you, sweet Lee, and miss you always, always. xoxoxox Close
Loving you always, Lee xoxox / Gaile (Mom)
"We know ourselves by the stories we tell. Losing you has dismantled my storyline and shaken my plot; the tale I tell about who I am and where I'm going doesn't make sense anymore. I want desperately to find other words that will imagine my life anew. I just don't know where and how that story will begin." -Molly Fumia (from "Safe Passage") Close
Lee's new niece - Brooklyn Rae / Gaile (Mom)Read >>
Lee's new niece - Brooklyn Rae / Gaile (Mom)
Lee's new niece (and only niece or nephew) was born August 11, 2007 @ 10:46 a.m. She weighed 6 lbs. & 3 ozs. She's precious and beautiful! I so wish Lee were here to see her. He would be beaming! I'm sure he's looking out for her.
Brooklyn was one year old on Aug. 11, 2008 and her baby brother is due in Sept. 2008
writing from March 6, 2005 / Gaile (Mom)
I found this in a notebook today. I had forgotten about writing it:
March 6, 2005
I'm all alone with Butch [Lee's bird] here now. Every day is painful. Work helps but when I'm not working, I can't seem to breathe right. The world will never be "right" for me again without Lee. I feel like I failed him and now I can never "fix" it. I pray there is an afternoon I can just think of Lee and laugh at happy memories but that hasn't happened yet unless it's quickly followed by pain.
I've only had the one dream of him since he left me to cope in this world without him. I wish I could dream of him every time I'm asleep. This is just not the natural order of things - my baby gone before he was finished with his life. 19 - almost 20 - disappointed in the adults around him - so sad - so painful. I cry as I'm writing this. I cry every day and it's been almost 5 months. I pray to die silently and painlessly in my sleep every time I go to bed.
Then I remember, there is J. Rae and I don't want to leave him alone in the world! And I still have things to do for Lee. If I'm gone, I don't think anyone else will do them. I cannot let him be forgotten!
He was such an amazing person - a sensitive heart - and even I, at times, did not remember how easily he could be hurt even tho he tried to act so grown.
My boy reached out to me before he died. I reached back but not far enough to save him! Now my life is misery unless he reaches out to me in some form - be it a dream or a bit of happiness rather than feeling like I've been cut in half and will never heal!
Dearest Lee, I've been thinking of you so much lately. Haven't been feeling well and it always seems like the lonliness for your company is much stronger when I'm ill. I would give anything, even my life, to have you back on this earth. You could always make people smile, including me...and I'm afraid I haven't been very good at that these last few years. I could never forget your smile. (And to think I had so much fear the first year that I wouldn't be able to remember your face without looking at a photograph. That was a silly notion on my part...but it really scared me.) Miss you, my son, always, always.
2006-2007 Remembrances / Remembering Lee October 15, 2006 I miss you so much Lee... not a day goes by that I don't think of you and remember every moment that we spent together. I love you. Jimmie Huggins (Asheville, NC)
October 16, 2006 It's been said that time heals. That may be true for some people but life will never be the same for me without you. I was so looking forward to what life would have brought. I wonder who you would have married; what my grandchildren would look like; what path your career would take - the list is longer than I can write here. I miss you, sweet Lee, more than anyone could know. I take a lot of comfort in the fact that you were so loved by so many people. It was such a pleasure to have known you. You were an extraordinary person and will be missed and loved for always. Lee's mother (NC)
October 16, 2006 I was proud and blessed to know Lee and his family. He touched so many people in his short life. Pammy Davis (Pleasant Garden, NC)
October 16, 2006 Lee, I think of you all the time. We miss you so much. Love, C c tennant (buffalo, NY)
October 16, 2006 I never had the chance to meet you, and that is what make your passing harder for me. Just know there are people trying very hard to make sure your legacy lives on. I rediscovered, with your mom's help, that my mom passed the same day only years earlier. So there is a bond that is forever there. Tina McCullough (Joshua, TX)
October 16, 2006 Hi I never knew you in person Lee, but I think I would have liked you a lot. I also think you have a very lovely, brave mother and some great friends who will keep you alive in memory forever. Jo Jo Joanne Green (Birmingham England)
October 16, 2006 I never met Lee during this lifetime. (Well, I don't know that for sure because I did attend many blues, folk, and bluegrass festivals all over Virginia, Maryland, and PA for many years when I lived there.)
But I do have him in my heart (and his beautiful Mother, too.) May God bless you all.
S Wheeler (FL)
October 16, 2006 Lee's music continues to touch and unite people. That's such a cool thing to think about, that total strangers can become friends by sharing appreciation for another person's art and thoughts. Cody (NC)
October 16, 2006 Lee, you are missed in this house and many others. Tom McLees (Greensboro, NC)
October 16, 2006 To: The Welker Family
I never had the pleasure of meeting Lee, but know he had the spirit and gentle soul of a musician. I am friends with his mother Gaile, who keeps his memory and spirit alive in a beautiful way. Lee and his entire family are in my thoughts and prayers during this anniversary time. May Lee's sweet songs fill the air.
October 16, 2006 What each must seek in his life never was on land or sea. It is something out of his own unique potentiality for experience… something that never has been and never could have been experienced by anyone else...I believe Lee found his~* JAY ANTOL (virginia beach, VA)
October 17, 2006 Lee is in my mind and soul. I watched him grow up into the beautiful and talented man he became. I pray his mother, my long time friend, will find peace in his passing. Love, Kathy Kathleen Smith (Norfolk, VA)
October 17, 2006 The day I found out about your death was actually on the 17th back in 2004. I cannot believe that it has already been two years since you left this world. Sometimes, it still hurts like it was yesterday, a fresh series of cuts on my heart. And other days, it's a little more managable, but never, ever easy. You left an impression on this earth, and the people who inhabit it, that others only dream of! You are such an amazing person and I will always be proud to have called you my significant other, but most importantly, my friend. You always gave me a shoulder to cry on and advice when I was having trouble with a boyfriend, even though we weren't together anymore. You didn't have to do that, but you did, and that proves your strength and your loyalty. You are one of the most talented and creative souls I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. In my opinion, there's no better gift to give a girlfriend/boyfriend than a good old-fashioned song written just for them. You did that for me on more than one occasion, and it touched my heart more than most of the gifts I've gotten in the entirety of my years. I hope you knew that. I think that two good things that came from this tragedy(not that they make the end result worthwhile, but they are still precious). 1.I've gotten the chance to know your wonderful, smart, thoughtful, Mom, 2.I'm more aware of how precious life is (both my own and those of the ones dear to me). I try very hard not to let arguments go on because I'm too stubborn to forgive someone. It's just not worth the guilt that ensues. I wish I had more time to tell everyone how wonderful you are and how much to mean to me. You are missed and you will never be forgotten. I love you, and I always will. Katherine Bassler (Greensboro, NC)
October 18, 2006 Will keep Lee in our thoughts & prayers during these difficult times. John Schelp (Durham, NC)
October 25, 2006 October 25, 2006. Today would have been your 22nd birthday. How I wish you were here with us. I love you, Lee. Missing you so very much. xox Mom Gaile (NC)
October 25, 2006 much respect & love peace & blessings Sol Creech (VA)
October 26, 2006 Even tho your gone from sight, you are not gone from my heart. I cherish the times I listened to you and your brother play your guitars and sing. those that knew you were blessed, and those that didn't, well, they wish they had. You will live on in my heart. I am truly blessed to have known you. Cynthia White (Soda Springs, ID)
November 7, 2006 I will always remember you and have lve in my heart for you and your mother. Aunt Dot Welker (Greensboro, NC)
November 21, 2006 Dear Lee, Thanksgiving is almost here and I have been dreading it. Trying to get myself in a mind-frame to give thanks for all else that's good in the world but Thanksgiving (or any other holiday) will never be the same without you. -Mom xox Gaile
December 31, 2006 Missing you at the New Year and always.
"...Light a candle in his memory,
Tell me you remember..." -Peg Rousar-Thompson
Gaile/Mom (NC)
February 22, 2007 I was just thinking about how much you would love a day like today. I missed getting a gift from you on Valentine's Day. You were always so sweet to remember me on that day. Love you always. -Mom Gaile Welker (NC)Close
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY / Debbie Wengert (Kevin's Mom )Read >>
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY / Debbie Wengert (Kevin's Mom )
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