Loving, talented, protector, faithful, kind
Choch was funny. He was a protector. He had a strong faith and a big heart, and the people who loved him describe him as a big teddy bear. He was talented in art and drawing and could do impressions of others that made everyone laugh. He liked rapping, fishing, being outside, cooking good food, and spending time with family. One of his greatest joys was being with his dog, Capone.
From a young age, it was clear that Choch had a deep and natural well of empathy. His sister, Tera, recalls an ice-cream excursion from early childhood. The two had gone to get cones from a local shop. When she accidentally dropped hers and began crying, Choch, without a second thought, threw his own cone on the ground and told her not to be sad.
Family mattered to Choch. Holidays were always spent together, even birthdays. Although Choch and Tera were three years apart in age, their birthdays differed by just two calendar days, so they always had joint parties. Those family gatherings were important to him and remained a part of his life as long as he was able to stay connected.
Choch worked in construction and furniture delivery. Friends and family remember him as “a good guy with a good heart.” After his death, many stories were shared about how he quietly helped his friends and showed up for their children.
Choch lived with the disease of addiction for more than ten years. Over time, it changed him. He became distant and began lying and stealing. He disappeared for long periods, and when he was around, he was reserved and uncharacteristically serious. He no longer laughed. Five months before his death, he was hospitalized for an extended time after trying to take his life while under the influence. Sadly, he returned to using drugs within 48 of being discharged from the hospital.
He is deeply missed by his mother, Shawni, his father, Charlie, his stepmother, Cristy, his sisters, Tera and Charly Ann, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and a godchild. His sister describes losing him as the “greatest pain she has ever known” and carries lasting guilt about not being able to help him.
In Choch’s memory, his sister Tera, who is in recovery, has turned grief into action by helping to organize Windsor’s Overdose Awareness Day. The event brings together recovery resources, free opioid reversal drug training, and speakers with lived experience. It ends with a candlelight vigil to honor lives lost to overdose. It is now in its fifth year.
Though substance use disorder had a tight hold on Choch from early in his teenage years, he is remembered as a deeply caring person whose dreams for the future were cut. His sister says, “I miss everything about him, except his substance use disorder. I miss being able to hang out with him, hug him, and just seeing his face.”
Carleton’s sister, Tera Howard, provided the information for this narrative.
October 19, 1987-September 25, 2019-Age 31
Portrait Artist: Elizabeth Jones
Narrative Writer: Barbara Francois
