Notes for BRANDON K BERRY: Dondi Berry wrote: hi john, i haven't done much on genealogy lately. i'm sure i told you that my son brandon was killed in june. he was my only child and my parent's only grandchild. the wound is still pretty fresh and it's hard to concentrate on much. i'm not far from manchester, 15-20 miles. i've heard of ranken, but wasn't sure how he was related. i'm not sure if he's still alive. i'll see if i can find out. dondi Hello Dondi Im soooooooooo Sorry to hear the News! I had not heard! Nothing was said at the reunion.. I was there and looked for you! Elmers side has had sooooo many lifes of tragedy...... I will Pray that Life gets better for you! These Holidays will Be tough For You! May God Give you the strength To Get Thru! Love Kuz John From: "Dondi Berry" To: "John Patterson" Subject: Re: Shocked! Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 00:53:39 -0500 i thought i had told you when it happened. i know that i e-mailed pat and told her, to explain why i wouldn't be at the reunion. when i didn't go, the rest of the group decided not to go. it's been real hard already and my ex isn't making it any better. he's fighting about who should pay for what. i just want us to go half and half on the cost of everything. he feels that because he let me borrow the money for the funeral, until my insurance came through, that i should pay 100% for the stone. i have paid him for part of what i owe, but am waiting for copies of the bills to pay him the rest. it just makes me sick that it all boils down to money. it adds to the pain, that is all unbearable. i just want to get the stone ordered, so we can end our relationship forever. he was at a party, where alcohol was served to minor. he and his friends left the party to get some hard stuff, because they only had beer at the party. the plan was to take the liquor back to the party, but the stopped at an abandoned train and drank the whole bottle. tami the driver came on to brandon and was very angry when he pushed her away. when they got back into the car and started driving, she was wasted and mad. she consumed most of the bottle. her etoh level was .302, the highest of all of them. she was driving too fast and brandon was yelling for her to slow down, but she wouldn't. tami and brandon were arguing up until the second they both died. they went over a set of railroad tracks and lost control as they went around a curve. they went off the road, but then managed to go straight on the grass for the length of a football field, until they hit a tree. i don't know why she couldn't stop in that time or get back on the road. there was no breaking at all. the first tree they hit was at the bottom of the tree, where part of the tree was protruding out. this sent them airborne, while the car twirled in the air. it hit a second tree and landed upside down. they said brandon's head hit the windshield, cracking his scull wide open, from front to back. everything but his brain stem was ejected out of his skull. he was killed instantly, he didn't suffer. the other two girls survived, but their account of the night doesn't match. i only told you the parts that they agree on. actually one of the girls (amilia) states that none of them drank at the party and tami was the only one who drank the bottle. the thing is, they all had etoh levels. hers was the lowest, brandon's was .195. i'm not sure what the other girls (angel) level was, but i know it was high. amilia also had a cracked skull and her brains were hanging out of her head. they gave her 2% chance to survive and she was lifeflighted from the scene. angel had a fx. pelvis and crushed legs. both are doing fine now. angel has a limp and she is in jail. amilia has no deficits at all that i can see. she can walk, talk and remembers everything, but i don't think she can tell the truth. her best friend is dating the guy who bought the beer and had the party. i think she's being pressured to cover for him. tami had no insurance on her car, but it was actually in her mother's name. we didn't allow brandon to get his driver's license, because of his lifestyle. i wish tami's mother had done the same. i have a memorial web site for him. i have photos of the two trees on the virtual grave page, if you want to see them. there are also many photos of brandon. you can reach it by going to this site; http://brandonkberry.tripod.com/ dondi ----- Original Message ----- From: John Patterson To: Dondi Berry Sent: Sunday, November 23, 2003 2:45 PM Subject: Updates? Hi Dondi! Hope this finds everyone well up your way! Havent heard from you for awhile... Are you still root chaseing? I have made a connection with a Millie Kerns Lives at Indian Lake are -- Lives in Her Grandpa Samuel Patterson's Home... Samuel was one Of Our grt Granpa Davids Son John Kids... John being a Son of Davids First MArriage -- with Martha Stephenson... I got some of her info and storys.. Want to make sure you are still online before I mail.. How far are you from Manchester Michigan? One of Johns Children is still alive up your way! Name is Rankin Patterson Hes in his 80s... We might get some storys from him? Hope You have a Good Thanksgiving! Kuz John