We never thought we could survive and go on this long without you. Nothing passes without a memory of you filtering in. Your brother is 12 now, old enough to wish he had you here for advice and someone to turn to when trouble came calling. We've come to the point where we can live, and the wound is scarred over, but it rips open on occasion and it's like those first moments. We love you Christopher Edward Kimbrew.
Know that we love you just as much as the day you left us.
August 2, 2010
7 years ago today marked the end of our lives as we knew it. We miss you Chris. Know that we grieve for you today, aching for time and experiences lost.
Chris and Arling,
together again.
January 4th, 2010
R.I.P Grandpa
We Miss You So Much!!!!
7 YEARS ............IT SEEMS SO LONG AGO.........IT SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY.........IT FEELS THE SAME.
We miss getting you up to leave for school, laughing as the alarm goes off for 25 minutes and there you lay, still asleep. We can feel your presence around us every day. Your bird could feel you too, he called your name over and over (funny how you worked so hard with him and only heard it twice)waiting for you to come home. We miss you leaving and saying "Be back in a while" or "Whatcha need from the store Mom. And do you have any money???". Our hearts are broken without you and will not heal until we meet again Chris. I wished to wake up today and have you here and this past 6 years be a bad dream.( You were always inclined to be one of a kind. A boy with a mind of his own. You were good in a group, or a class or just one on one. But you weren't scared to go it alone. You knew what to do and you always came through it. No matter the challenge or test. You got the job done and you made us proud every time. But you rarely gave less than your best.The lessons you learned, you passed on to Dakota, for that we're so thankful. The respect that you earned was no more evident than at your funeral. So many told us over and over the things they remembered most. Your Kindness so warm and sincere.Your humor and heart, your unselfish willingness to help others, they all played in making you stronger each year that passed. The way that you cared, and the love that you showed. Not saying you were perfect, you weren't. You could be lazy, selfish, whiny and bratty. But that was only with us. Not a day goes by without me thinking of you Chris - something you said to make me laugh or something we did together . Even our fights, as ugly as they got sometimes, it was all a part of US. The way you always fought cleaning your room, the way you did your homework after us riding you about it, then ripping it to shreds as you know we watched on your way to school.....you were as stubborn as your Dad and I together, who knew? You had that special, rare ability to brighten up any room you walked into, or darken it by a bad mood, it always affected people. You were the kind of guy you always welcomed into whatever you were doing. If you said no to you, you'd get that cute little pout on your face( which EVERY teacher you EVER had fell for!!!) which made us laugh. Chris my son, I miss you so much that words cannot begin to describe the hurt. I have had comfort this last week because you have visited me in dreams so vivid that I could seemingly touch you again. In the harsh reality of day though, I struggle to cope with having lost you. One day we will again reunite and that will be a beautiful day indeed - until then I will keep you in my heart and live on with the wonderful memories that we managed to share during your shortened lifetime. Your light will never grow dim Christopher. Stay close to us, so we can feel the peace you feel. We are trying so hard to find happiness without you being here but our hearts are broken and we miss you so much. You are never far from our thoughts and forever in our hearts.Dakota still wishes we can patch you up and you'll come and help him on the play station or help him clean his room...cause you are the master! Death is not final to a five year old...even at 12. You have touched so many lives, no-one will ever be the same. I wonder how a day can be so beautiful and yet you are not in it. I miss you so much my beautiful boy. I want you back but know that that is impossible. You are kept alive in so many peoples hearts, I will never let you die. You will live on in me, in Dakota, in your Dad, in all the people you have touched in your life.
I sit here thinking about the day I became your Mom. How scared I was and how overwhelmed I felt. But when I looked in your deep blue eyes that first time, I fell more deeply in love than I thought possible. I got to watch you grow up to be a handsome and well mannered young man. I was so proud of all you'd become Chris. I so hope you knew that. Thank you for the privilege of being your Mom. I couldn't have asked for a better child. My memories and your brother will carry me through my day. I love you Christopher, from the day I first knew you to the day I die.
.
Last Days.......
Two boys, one love that will never die
One sad little boy missin his brother...
On August 2, 2004, our lives came to a screeching halt. To find that you had drowned was beyond our comprehension. Our lives since that day have reflected just how much you are missed. You were our firstborn, a child that we were immensely proud of. You were a typical teenager in some ways, but you showed great maturity and a compassion for others that is rare in people today. And that makes us most proud, that so many remember you as a young man that had remarkable manners and that you were always willing to help ones in need. Chris, you were a big brother to be imitated, and Dakota does, in so many ways. You need to watch over him carefully, because watching you drown has shattered his world. Your friends remember you and mourn their loss. Thank you for Shane. He is such a comfort to us. Your Father and I Hold on to our memories, and try not to think of all we will miss, your marriage, your babies, just watching you finish becoming the man you were meant to be.... We love you more than I think you knew.
To My Son, 6 years later... / Mom
6 years ago today at around noon we had our hearts ripped out. Dad got the news first out of the 2 of us. He then had to bring me home to tell me you were missing. I thought you had just had a fight, that you'd be back. Dad had to make me understand ...
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miss you brother / Matt Platz (real good old friend )
hey man its me matt . found this page and i about teard the hell up. still remeber me you and phil webster sittin in Mr Sanchezes class in Edgewood watchin auscwitch movie and throwing balled up paper at the subteacher. man i miss your crazy ass. me ...
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Happy 22 Birthday / Mom
Happy 22nd Birthday Chris
On May 30th, 2009 you would have been 22. I cant help but wonder where you'd be in life, who you might be with, and where we would fit in your world.
Life has mercilessly gone on without you. The...
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Hi / Amanda Speer (Close Friend )
Wow...It has been a while since I have been on here, and now I remember why it is so hard for me to get on here. I miss you. I had a dream the other night and you were in it. I know that is your way of letting me know you still care. I can't beileve ...
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i miss you / Tim Wawrowski (friend)
chris, i still remember the first time i met you, it was at the west springfield kingdom hall. you and i were like 8 or 9, and from the first time you and i met, we were friends. it was a friendship that luckily lasted for a long time. you were alway...
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Remembering Chris "My brother died " I sadly said. They look away and hang their head.
I miss him so I miss him every day. But when I say his name, They look away.
I know it hurts It makes us cry. But remembering Chris is important so we have to try.
He left us so quick we didn't get to say goodbye But he touched us all in ways we can't deny.
So here I stand I say his name. Chris was my brother. My life will never be the same.
I love you Chris. I hope you're there. I will always remember you and your memory I will always share
By Amber
I found the glass gift that Chris gave me and i thought of this poem :
My love for you is so strong. My nights are long Since you have been gone. I miss our love we use to share. My heart's not the same since you have gone.
I lay awake at night thinking of all the love we shared. I miss you oh so very much. I pray that you will come back I miss you. as the days go by Without you here I realize Just what you mean to me And how much I love you.
You are my life, my world, my everything. I miss you
Teen drowns in creek
Teen drowns in creek Body recovered 7 hours after swimmer sought help
CONNEAUT - The body of a 17-year-old Conneaut boy was retrieved from Conneaut Creek Monday night, ending a seven-hour search for the stricken swimmer, officials said. A formal identification by the Ashtabula County coroner's office was not immediately available Monday night, but family members at the scene said the missing teen was Christopher Kimbrew of Beaver Street. The boy was found in water a short distance from the CSX train trestle commonly known as the "arches," said Conneaut Fire Chief Bim Orrenmaa. The body was found fully clothed near the bottom of the creek in about 10 feet of water - almost the exact spot where witnesses saw him struggle after entering the water. The body was found about 8 p.m. by Roy Pratt of Conneaut, a Fire Station 4 firefighter and diver, Orrenmaa said. "He was the last diver of the day," the chief said. Rescue personnel from four fire departments were involved in the search. Dive team members from the Conneaut, North Kingsville, Saybrook Township and Andover fire departments scoured a section of the creek that enters property owned by the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad and the Pittsburgh and Conneaut Dock Co. The boy reportedly entered the water south of the stone CSX bridge, Orrenmaa said. Watching on the opposite bank was a female friend and two small children, he said. Moments later, the boy began calling for help and disappeared under the water, Orrenmaa said. The youth resurfaced and was last seen about 100 feet north of the bridge, Orrenmaa said. The female ran to a Beaver Street house to seek help, firefighters said. Rescue personnel were dispatched at 12:16 p.m., officials said. Station One firefighters were first on the scene, and one firefighter donned a life jacket and jumped into the water, Orrenmaa said. "We put a swimmer in the water as soon as we could," he said. The airboat from Conneaut Fire Station Three and dive teams quickly joined the search. Tethered to life lines, divers probed the creek, muddy and swollen from weekend rainstorms. Divers said the current in the creek was deceptively swift. Divers quickly became exhausted fighting the current. Some suffered leg cramps from dehydration. One diver had to be pulled from the water by the airboat crew. Orrenmaa credited the divers' persistence for the recovery. "We were ready to cancel the search in the afternoon, but divers were insistent," he said. "They did a commendable job." The body was found about 20 feet from a spot where a ladder gave divers access to the creek, Orrenmaa said. The boy was taken by airboat to Woodworth Road to await an investigator from the Ashtabula County coroner's office. Members of a local all-terrain vehicle club assisted at the scene, Orrenmaa said. "We've had lots of help," he said. (2931) (7) (1431)
Coroner's office rules drowning an accident CONNEAUT - The death of a Conneaut teen in Conneaut Creek Monday afternoon has been ruled an accident by the Ashtabula County Coroner's Office. "Drowning is the official cause of death, and the manner of death has been ruled an accident," Rich Mongell, coroner's investigator, said Tuesday morning. An autopsy prompted the rulings, Mongell said. Christopher Kimbrew, 17, of 427 Harbor St., slipped under the water near the CSX Railroad trestle shortly after noon, and his body was recovered by a diver around 8 p.m., officials said. The Conneaut High School student was fully clothed, including socks and shoes, in the water, Mongell said. He had placed some valuables, including a wristwatch and wallet, on the shore. The body was found on the bottom of the creek, between some rocks, in about 10 feet of water, firefighters said. Currents were deceptively swift in the creek, which was muddied and swollen by weekend rains, divers said. Dive teams from four fire departments spent several hours at the site, said Conneaut Fire Chief Bim Orrenmaa. After the boy sank below the surface, family and friends watching from shore ran to call for help. One of the witnesses was the victim's younger brother, Mongell said. "It's a shame the brother had to see that," Mongell said.
To My Brother Chris
CHRIS WENT TO HEAVEN TO HEAR THE ANGELS SING CHRIS WENT TO HEAVEN ON TIPS OF ANGEL WINGS
CHRIS SAYS "I LOVE YOU" AND SMILES DOWN AT ME FOR I CAN HEAR HIS WHISPERS IN THE RAINBOWS I CAN SEE
CHRIS PUTS ON SHOWS FOR ME HIS PUPPETS ARE THE STARS AND I CAN HEAR HIS LAUGHTER IN THE HUM OF HIS HOTWHEEL CARS
CHRIS PLAYS ME SONGS AT NIGHT I HEAR THEM ON THE WIND I LAY AWAKE JUST LISTENING UNTIL THE STARS GROW DIM
CHRIS WATCHES OVER ME HE KEEPS ME SAFE AND SOUND AND EVEN WHEN I'M ALL ALONE I KNOW THAT HE'S AROUND
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Tributes and Condolences
"My brother died "
So here I stand 
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