Bennett Boyles (Photos courtesy Lucienne Rivera, Pat Kelley, and Konni Smith)
Never forgotten. Always loved.
Three years ago today Bennett Boyles battle with cancer ended.
He didn’t lose, as he fought with everything he had. But his body reached its breaking point.
Facing off with cancer is something no one should have to endure, much less a 12-year-old with his life stretching out in front of him.
Having lost family members to cancer, I know the mix of sadness, of anger, and of disbelief.
In his fight, in the way he faced an unyielding foe, Bennett touched many lives.
His fellow classmates, who are now sophomores at Coupeville High School, have never forgotten him.
They are carrying Bennett with them through every step of their school journey, from messages on the rock outside the school, to honoring him when they play basketball, a sport he loved.
When Hawthorne Wolfe launches a three-ball and the orb slips through the net without a ripple, Bennett is there with Hawk, his name written on the shoes which carry Wolfe up and down the court.
As we watch Xavier Murdy, and Grady Rickner, and Logan Martin, and Wolfe in action, it’s very easy to imagine Bennett out there, once again running the court with his friends.
That his classmates and coaches and friends and family and teachers and strangers alike embrace his memory, celebrate his life and accomplishments, keep alive everything good, binds our community together.
We will not forget Bennett.
There is anger, and there is sadness, and those are justifiable, and a lot of that will never fade.
But there is love and there is hope, and that is what Bennett means to Coupeville.
Every time a basketball net snaps, he’s here.
Every time we show kindness and grace to someone else, he’s here.
Every time we celebrate his soaring spirit — and it was there, firmly in place, long before his health problems — he’s here.
When the CHS Class of 2022 walks to the podium to receive their diplomas, when players like Hawk and X celebrate their Senior Nights on the basketball court, he will be there with them.
As a community we carry Bennett with us every day, and that will never change.
Never forgotten. Always loved.
