Memorial and Eulogy As many of you know, the last few days has been hard on a lot of us with the loss of our friend Duwyann. The funeral was held on Monday. However, a memorial service has been organized for the friends who were unable to attend the services. If you wish to attend, the memorial will be held at Unity Christ Church, Downtown Wilmington, starting at 7pm Thursday night. I know that Duwyann touched many people's lives over the years, and this is a good time to fully remember the good he brought to us all.

Eulogy as written by J.W.Casteen....

FINAL DESTINATION

Jamie “Duwyann” Ward

1976 – August 9, 2008
I was recently reminded in a service such as this of a Bible passage found in Ecclesiastes – Chapter 3. The words from that passage are appropriate for our gathering here tonight:

1To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven:

2a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.



Tonight is the time in which we come together to remember and to celebrate the life of Jamie “Duwyann” Ward. Each of us mourns his passing, and we will continue to do so in the coming days and weeks. However, tonight we are here to celebrate the life of a man that each of us loved in our own way. We are here to recognize, acknowledge, and give thanks for the love that he bestowed upon each of us.

Duwyann loved his family to whom he was known as “Jamie,” “Duwyann,” or “Uncle D.” They love him in many ways, as a son, brother, and uncle. Duwyann was the “baby” of the family, and he relished in the attention. Many times in recent months I reached Duwyann via telephone as he lounged by the pool at his Mom’s house enjoying afternoons with his family. He particularly enjoyed the company of his nieces and nephews, who he adored. Duwyann was preceded in death by his father, Thurman, and that loss, some ten (10) years ago, made the ties of family even more important.

Duwyann loved Paul. Paul has described Duwyann as his soul mate. Duwyann often spoke to me of the care, appreciation, and love that he felt for Paul. They shared many memories. Their passions sometimes flared into a heated word. But, the love that each felt for the other was a constant.

Duwyann loved Roxie, and the menagerie of other animals found in and around his home. Duwyann loved to dance. He loved to spend time with his friends. He had a way of letting each of us know that we were special to him. Perhaps, it can be summed up best in saying that, “Duwyann loved life,” and he had good reason to treasure his life.

Recently, when I relayed to a friend the circumstances of Duwyann’s death, the friend said that the circumstances brought to mind the Final Destination series of movies. As you probably know, the series begins with a group of individuals cheating death only to have death take its revenge in many unusual ways. What my friend did not realize is just how ironic the similarities really were.

Duwyann in fact had cheated death at an early age. As a toddler, Duwyann had been diagnosed with a tumor, which many would have believed terminal. If any of you ever noticed the scar around his abdomen, that scar was a direct result of the bulk of this tumor being removed by surgeons at Duke Hospital. However, removal of the tumor did not rid him of the threat of death.

The growth that threatened his life was all but assured of recurring, and everyone feared that the respite would be short lived. Despite these well-founded fears, the prayers of family and friends were answered when, upon reexamination, there were no signs of the tumor or evidence of its regrowth. Duwyann had been given a second lease on life.

Death caught up to Duwyann last week in a manner and at a time that none of us could have ever predicted. Today, his journeys have ended. He has reached a place of rest and comfort. Each of us can imagine him being welcomed into the loving opened arms of his father. Duwyann’s travels through this life brought him into contact with each of us. Last Friday, Duwyann reached his Final Destination; however, his life, as lived through each of us, will not end.

For more than (30) years, Duwyann lived life to its fullest. He never took his second chance for granted. Each of us here tonight has seen and benefitted from his love for life. We have experienced his passion for living. All of us shared his love in many different ways.

I first met Duwyann when I moved back to Wilmington in 2004. I am not his oldest friend. There are many here who have shared more of his life than me. I am not his closest friend. That accolade goes to others. Nevertheless, he demonstrated to me his limitless ability to bring yet another friend into the fold. I knew him long enough to be the object of his disappointment and more importantly long enough to experience his forgiveness. Over the years, we shared many smiles, and I was privileged to be a beneficiary of his love.

He was an old soul. He was a free spirit. His view of the world was simple. His recipe for life was basic. … “Live life to the fullest. Share life with all around you.”

Each of us basked in the glow of Duwyann’s passion for life. Our hearts were warmed by that glow, and we each learned from him how to better live our own lives. From Duwyann, we learned how to love. We learned how it felt to be loved by him.

I witnessed evidence of that love over the past week. I listened as throngs of family and devoted friends spoke of his life and the loss that they would feel. They spoke of a child with a mischievous streak, who grew into a young man with a rebel’s heart. They spoke of his prodigal travels and of his never-ending quest to solidify his place in the hearts of those who he loved.

Their sentiments were not without recognition of the pangs of life. Their sentiments did not ignore the disappointments and tears that we all experience. However, the trials and tribulations of life could not shroud the love that all felt for Duwyann. The appreciation for Duwyann and for the love that he shared with all was the recurring theme in nearly every conversation.

Through tears of loss, everyone present could see evidence of Duwyann’s love. Even those that could not understand his love felt its effects. Even those who were never privileged to share his love learned from it. His love was never conditioned. It was available to all who returned it. Everyone that shared it was forever changed by the experience.

The Bible speaks of the type of love that Duwyann shared with all of us and highlights the importance of that love. I Corinthians – Chapter 13 reads in part:

Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up;

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil . . .

And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.



We received a gift by having Duwyann in our lives for thirty-two (32) years. Duwyann showed us all how to love. Let us all repay that gift by committing to taking that love and sharing it with others. Let us all commit to demonstrating that love whenever the opportunities present themselves. Let us never hide or reserve a single loving word or act for the opportunity to share that love may never come again.  ¶ 8/13/2008 03:47:00 PM