Students Remember 'Best Friend' of Many

UPDATE (Sunday, 1:43 p.m.)—Apparently Joey d'Entremont did not have a best friend.

He had many.

As classmate after teammate after family friend reached for the megaphone at Saturday night's candlelight memorial, it was clear that the boy who was "always smiling" will never completely leave Fallston.

D'Entremont's junior varsity football coach, Dave Wagner, was surrounded by other members of the team as hundreds spread across the open field at the Fallston Recreation Complex. Within minutes, the crowd came closer and closer until hundreds were shoulder-to-shoulder around Wagner, who stood at the center with the megaphone.

While some said d'Entremont would not want them to cry, others urged each other to let out their feelings about the 14-year-old freshman who was fatally struck by a car Friday night. But there was one thing upon which they all agreed—Joey d'Entremont was a big part of their lives.

"The one constant thing we can say about Joey is that he's a great guy, that we are going to miss him and that we love him," Wagner said.

There are so many facets of that personality, though, that his friends will remember.

"I'll tell you one thing; that kid gave the best hugs. You can ask anyone. Best hugs—I got one every day," Adam Adolfo said. "I'm sure if he was looking down on everyone right now he would be extremely happy that everyone came out to show him some respect."

Freshman Sloane DelaCruz, who organized the candlelight gathering with classmate Logan Eisenhardt, opened the night by encouraging others to commemorate their friend.

"This shouldn't be a sad occasion. We shouldn't be mourning anything. We should be celebrating his life and honoring him because he was a great person," DelaCruz said.

One by one, they did.

"I met Joey a couple weeks after school ended and he's been one of my best friends since then," Ashley Baxter said. "Joey was just like my little brother and he gave me everything I ever wanted and I couldn't ask for more."

Some of the stories were light-hearted, like the one from teammate Nate Emge, who shared his first encounter with d'Entremont.

"The first time I met him was in the principal's office. He had thrown an apple at the teacher's head and I got blamed for it," Emge said. "Ever since then we've just always been real good friends."

His peers, though, were not the only ones who had pleasant memories. One of his teachers from Youth's Benefit Elementary School recalls his early days vividly.

"We used to call him Eddie Haskell because even in kindergarten when I would go into school he would do something behind my head and then he would turn around and shake my hand and say, 'Hello, Mrs. Nicola, how are you today?" Donna Lee Nicola said. "He always had so much fun in school and we're going to miss him."

One girl talked about how much she loved his eyes: "They were just so blue—how could you not look at them?"

Another teammate said d'Entremont convinced him not to quit football.

"I was getting destroyed," he said "I was going to quit and Joey totally just took me under and showed me that I could still go."

Many of those who spoke also talked about how far d'Entremont was destined to go.

"We all know Joey was going to be a superstar one day, and he's always going to be a superstar in all of our lives," one friend said.

Added another named Alex: "He was going to go somewhere. He was going to go somewhere real far, too."

The hardest part was the realization that he did not reach his potential.

"I've never met anyone better, nicer, kinder. It's just everything about him I love," said another boy proud to call d'Entremont his best friend. "I don't know what I'm going to do now because he's not with us."

Although d'Entremont's life was taken early, many of his friends are still inspired by him.

"As a football team we do have a long season ahead of us, and we will be playing for Joey," Wagner said.

They will all be playing for Joey.

Viewings for d'Entremont will be held Tuesday from 6–9 p.m. and Wednesday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m at Mountain Christian Church. A service and burial will follow Wednesday's viewing.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Fallston Parks and Recreation football program.

E-mail Brad@Patch.com if you are interested in sharing your memories about Joey d'Entremont for a commemorative story, or if you have pictures you would like to share. Users are also encouraged to upload their own pictures to any of the stories.

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