Jeremy Preston Chambers

This is a really trying time.  1 year has passed.  I can't figure out if it feels like longer than that or shorter.  I keep looking at the pictures of Jeremy and reading the articles online.  Jeremy and I had fallen out of touch for a long time.  It was a Chris's wedding rehearsal dinner that Jeremy and I had started talking and laughing again.  After that we were sending each other emails every other day or so and trying to figure out a time for me to go over there and see his house and meet his dogs.  He wanted to see my house too.  I think we were both really happy that the other person was doing so well.  During the wedding reception, he and I were joking around on the limo ride.  I was giving him crap about being all affectionate with his girlfriend and he was giving me crap for not having a date.  I never got to make that trip over to his house and I feel like a fool for letting so much time go by.   God knows I could have used someone like Jeremy in my life that whole time.

I don't pretend to know what his immediate family is feeling.  I know that the pain I feel is the worst I have experienced in my life.  Jeremy was my best friend for a long time when I was a kid.  I didn't have many close friends growing up since we moved so often.  I think there is a bond that is formed when you are so close to someone when you're very young.  I think that bond lasts forever even if you aren't close to the person later in life.

A lot of the people I have talked to say what a great person Jeremy was because of his police, firefighter, EMT, and volunteer records.  Those are all wonderful things that make me proud, but that's not the Jeremy I think about.  I think about the smart kid who was fun to hang out with.  I think about his wild imagination.  I think about the kid who welcomed me into his house when my family moved here.  I think about the kid who went down into his basement and removed the back of a locked bureau to get to the Christmas presents Diane had hidden in there.  I think about how he and I used to sit and dream of the day we would be able to drive.  We talked about going out and driving around when I turned 16.  As soon as I got my license, I went over and picked Jay up even though it had been quite a while since we had hung out on a regular basis at that point.

Remembering Jeremy is a difficult exercise, but it’s worth it.

--Tom McGeehan

Jay was one of my skate guards at the ice rink. And an awesome one he was. Although timid in his own way, he held his ground and saw that the rules were followed. We went through graduation. Then I saw him as a young man becoming a paramedic. From there his travels took him to the Cahokia Police. All the time serving as one of our volunteer firemen. How proud he made me feel when I saw that! He was a people person. It is what he lived for. I miss Jeremy so much. I know that he is with us every day watching over us.

Take care sweetheart. We miss you very much and will love you forever.

--Marilynn