Joey was kind, gentle, and compassionate. He also was very artistic and could draw, write poetry and songs, and compose music to play on his guitar. He was friendly to everyone, of every age and could talk easily with strangers. He loved nature and animals. Fall was his favorite season and he loved campfires. He was voted to have the best smile his senior year in high school. His smile could light up a room.

When Joey was younger, he liked He-Man, Thundercats, and Scooby Doo. He wore a superman cape to preschool and carried a briefcase. He loved playing cowboys and watched Bonanza often.

Joey always had a girlfriend - even in preschool. In second grade we had to drop off a special valentine at a girl's house because she was sick that day. I once had to stop on our way to the turnpike one early morning as we left for vacation so he could leave a rose on a girl's porch. A girlfriend in Middle School was hospitalized for anorexia and he spent weekends sitting with her and they would both just read or draw. He would have been a great husband.

Joey wanted to be a teacher. He taught Bible School many years at our church. The kids loved him. He had such a calm and gentle nature. He would have been a great father.

Joey was a cub scout in elementary school. He played the trumpet in the band and the guitar in the jazz band. He played baseball for many years and was an excellent pitcher. He was never terribly competitive in baseball, often calling to me from the pitcher's mound to ask me what was on TV that night. He played ice hockey for five years and that was very exciting. He was a good player and enjoyed hockey immensely.

Then came the drugs. I'm not sure what order they came in but the oxycontins and heroin are what ruined our lives. Outpatient rehab didn't help, neither did NA. He had no insurance so inpatient rehabs were financially out of reach. He wanted help and we wanted him to have help, but there was none to be had. As soon as they heard "no insurance" suddenly there was a waiting list.

Joey spent 6 months in jail for numerous thefts to support his addiction. He got out and was clean. He got a great job that he loved, his good friends came back into his life and I had my old Joey back. Two months out of jail he tried heroin one more time and it killed him. We found him in his room on the morning of September 19, 2005 sitting on his couch and it was too late to save him. Our hearts are broken and our lives are shattered. He was my best friend and the light of my life.