_{*Quick Summary: The author adds a personal eulogy as a memorial to Alesha Gainey.*}

On August 28th, Alesha Gainey died. An end to the life of a wonderful person. Alesha had a major physical issue years ago that damaged her organs and left her vulnerable to quite a few serious conditions in the time since. She fought valiantly, but in the end, her heart just couldn’t take any more.

For me, Alesha’s story goes back to the beginning. She and I were just two of a group of kids that grew up around each other. Her, along with her twin sisters Jennifer and Kimberly, cousins Lynn and Ricky, and my sister Michelle and me were a little group of our own. While we would spend time with members of this group individually, usually the only times we would assemble as a whole was during holiday functions.

As a child, Alesha was always a bit different than most kids her age. She was very confident, I’d even say bold, at a very young age. Quite independent. She would not be deterred from doing whatever she wanted to do. She was also brutally honest, and that trait is likely why she got along so well with her grandparents Joe and Mary.

She remained a fairly consistent person as she grew older. Almost a fixture. You knew how she would react, and you knew where you stood with her. As we grew older, we carried on with our own lives, and would sometimes go years without contact. When we would reunite, the love and connection was still there and unchanged. I appreciated that so much.

Life has a way of throwing a lot of hard things at you. Sometimes it seems people who deserve it the least have the most burdens to bear. Alesha dealt with a lot of loss very suddenly in 2004, losing her grandfather Joe in July, then father, both sisters, and cousin Ricky in a plane crash in October. Later, in 2011, her grandmother Mary who she was so close to passed away. Such a cruel turn of events for such a good person.

Sadly, her mother Cathy has now had to bury all three of her children and a husband. (Click to watch a faith-based video of Cathy recorded before Alesha’s death)

For all the hard times and loss, I will always think of Alesha as a rambunctious little girl. In my mind, she’s still a small child and we’re all still gathered together around the Christmas tree like the photo below. Who could have guessed that of this group of kids, only two would be left? Life works in funny ways, but clearly God is in control, even when we don’t understand it.

Alesha’s obituary: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/alesha-gainey-obituary?pid=190090263