ASHLAND — Andre Ezra Harrison touched many lives during his brief time on earth.
Friends, family, teammates, co-workers, teachers, coaches, mentors and foster parents were among them. They all packed inside Park Street Brethren Church in Ashland on Tuesday for a somber memorial service.
Harrison, a 19 year-old Ashland High School student, died Oct. 3 from what officials believe was an overdose. His death continues to be investigated.
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Hundreds came to pay respects to Harrison and his foster parents, Jeremy and Kim Harrison, from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The memorial service followed with Christian worship music and touching words shared by four people.
John Shultz, the memorial’s pastor and officiant, said the four “influential adults” represented important chapters in Harrison’s life — people who poured into his life.
“Seeing these chapters together will help you understand who Andre was and that he was always striving to overcome,” Shultz said.
Chapter 1: Kelly Holbrook
Kelly Holbrook and her husband served as Harrison’s foster parents after the 7-year-old’s aunt turned him into child protective services. He lived with them for two years. She reinforced Harrison’s kind and helpful characteristics.
“He loved to help me carry the groceries — and he was so tiny back then, he could barely carry the bags,” she said, drawing laughter.
Chapter 2: Christian Langston
Christian Langston, who now serves as Ashland YMCA’s sports and fitness director, mentored Harrison for a time. He described Harrison as fun and gifted with “speed and endurance.”
“I mean, crazy — crazy athlete,” he said.
At some point, Harrison’s adoptive parents recognized Harrison’s ability — and seemingly endless energy — to run. As a youngster, he entered a 5K with Kim Harrison, said the pastor.
“He did not run with Kim,” he said. “Instead, he nearly won the race.”
Shultz said he finished the 5K, his first such event, within 19 minutes and came in second.
Langston said he witnessed Harrison’s athleticism one day as the two enjoyed an afternoon together at a McDonald’s drive-thru. It was a hot day; they stopped to get some ice cream cones. They were on their way home, a couple blocks away from the fast-food joint.
“He was getting agitated, saying ‘this is taking way too long,’” Langston said, adding Harrison wagered he could beat Langston home on foot if he jumped out of the car and started running home.
Langston agreed, knowing the probability of the teen beating him home on foot was unlikely.
He did.
“And he has the audacity to say, ‘is my cone still attached?’” Langston said, laughing with the crowd.
In middle school, Harrison joined his school’s track team and performed well on the field as an athlete, winning every race during seventh grade, Shultz said.
When COVID-19 disrupted conventional schooling and sports, the young eighth grader started getting into some trouble, said the pastor.
By high school, he asked his parents if there was a school “that required uniforms and had a lot of rules and stuff” so he could stay out of trouble, the pastor said.
Soon, Harrison enrolled in Mansfield Christian School and joined the track team, where he met Coach Brooke Trumpower.
Chapter 3: Brooke Trumpower
Trumpower also described Harrison as a fun person, who was full of energy. Harrison’s transparency about his past with her and the team made it easy for people to grow close with him, she said.
“We talked about the fact that our past does not define us. Although we often fall short, God’s is the only thing that really matters,” she said.
She encouraged him to seek God and his voice during runs. She said he heard God’s voice through her one “cold, windy” evening during a track meet in Fredericktown. That night, he decided to “dedicate his life to Jesus.”
Chapter 4: Israel “Izzy” Cordes
Harrison got a job at McDonald’s during the first nine weeks of his junior year, where he worked from 5 a.m. to noon. He would then go home to study in online courses until cross country or track practice.
“It was a good rhythm for him,” said Shultz.
But at one point, Harrison got in trouble and lost his job. Months later, Cordes gave him another chance.
Cordes said he too had experienced trouble in his early years.
“Somebody once gave me that shot, so I took him on. It was probably one of the greatest decisions to bring him back on the team that second time,” he said.
At work, Harrison became the “face” of the restaurant, quickly taking on roles like dressing up as Grimace and posting pictures on social media during events.
“He loved to make people smile. He loved to make people laugh … I remember him in the back just singing and dancing while washing dishes and still trying to take orders,” Cordes said.
“That joy, that laughter and that like that Andre brought to the room reminded me that like is short, and that you need to cherish every moment. You don’t know when it’s going to end,” he said.