Stephen lit up any room he walked into and was the guy who made others laugh. He was a musician who played guitar and piano, a welder who used his talents to make artwork, and a world traveler. His addiction to pain medication began soon after having a wisdom tooth extracted while he was in the navy. His addiction progressed over ten years until he died from fentanyl poisoning in March 2022 at the age of 32. His mother, Andree, honors his memory by displaying a Christmas tree in her front yard for others who are grieving to place a special ornament of their loved ones. This was featured on several news outlets as follows:

2023

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/fullertons-community-christmas-tree-honors-loved-ones-lost-to-opioids/3293487/

2022

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/fullerton-mother-creates-fentanyl-awareness-christmas-tree/3058803/

https://abc7.com/drug-overdose-fentanyl-christmas-trees-ornaments/12591577/

https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/human-interest/2022/12/24/fullerton-mother-honors-son-with-fentanyl-christmas-tree

Soon after her son passed away, Andree woke up one morning with a tune in her head that she had never heard before. She discovered the lyrics were from a song called Full Circle by the group Half Moon Run. She feels that Stephen was trying to explain in this sign from heaven about his life with addiction.

Full Circle lyrics

https://youtu.be/azV0Y7v6wsg?feature=shared

Cap off kneeling at the back of the church, Feeling water on your brow, if it's healing it hurts At first a sharpish pain that returns as a thought That the needle in your skin will bring you closer to god

And I watch as your head turns full circle

Our hope was with a coffee and a medical text It's too easy knowin' nothing blowing off the rest And the riddles in the pages leave at too much to guess And the worry cracks a fracture from your hip to your chest

As I watch as your head turns full circle

We got lost in the travels in the spiritual book Missed the beaches from nirvana and the way that they look And the crooks they're on the island they're killin' to keep runnin' They're running severance on the plastic and it seems to be working

Is that the best that I can do? As I watch as your head turns full circle

You appear even tempered though your looks will deceive And the sparks are always flying cause you drink for relief With the heart of a child and the wit of a fool It's a wonder why I don't try to build a wall around you

When I watch as your head turns full circle And I watch as your head turns full circle Yeah I watch as your head turns full circle

If you would like to tell your story about an overdose death, please contact Susan Claire at grievingoverdosedeath@gmail.com

http://grievingoverdosedeath.libsyn.com/

Music provided by La Atlántida