After Their Own Tragedy, Coppell Family Helps Others Navigate The Sudden Loss Of A Loved One

When something really bad happens, it can be hard to know what to do next. A North Texas family found themselves in that situation a few years ago, and they decided to launch a project to help others.

By Syeda HasanJune 5, 2019 12:58 pm, , ,

From KERA:

Jason Dyke is a proud Aggie. Visit his home in Coppell, and you’re greeted with a maroon Texas A&M University flag outside the front door. About 15 years ago, he and some of his college friends pooled their money and bought an old Texas A&M school bus. Dyke calls them his “bus family.”

They get together every football season.

“We all converge on College Station, we go pick the bus up, and then we drive it to the game and to the house we stay in,” Dyke says.

Over the years, Dyke and his bus family have celebrated milestones and supported each other through tough times. They rallied around him when he lost his 11-year-old son Carson.

Carson was a sharp kid. He tutored classmates in math. He loved Star Wars, Jurassic Park and Legos. When he tried out for the school band, he passed on percussion instruments to form a trombone gang with his friends. And he wanted to be an Aggie, like his dad.

Dyke says the night in April 2017 when they lost Carson started out like any other.

“My wife was home, and my middle son Ryan was here, and Carson was here, and Carson had a bad day,” Dyke says. “He had gotten into an argument over a couple things at school. We’re still not totally sure what happened.”

The family went down the street to visit a neighbor. Carson didn’t want to join. They weren’t gone long and came back home around dinner time.

“Ryan and I got in the car and drove back over here to come get Carson, and by then it was dark,” Dyke says. “I went upstairs to get him, and I found him.”

Carson had died by suicide. Soon, police and paramedics descended on the house. The Dyke family rushed to a nearby hospital. They left empty handed.

“And as I was signing him out, I was kind of half joking, but I asked for my brochure, and they said, ‘What brochure?’ and I said, ‘The brochure that’s going to tell me what to do,'” Dyke said. “And they said, ‘Well, if you call a funeral home, they’ll walk you through the process,’ and that was it.”

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