Citronelle football player, respected classmate, dies in car crash
(CITRONELLE, Ala.) Sept. 18 -- It's a hurt that cuts deep into the Citronelle High School campus. A popular fellow classmate and football teammate is dead... killed in a car crash on his way home from a church supper. The loss of sophomore Josh Creagh is especially painful because of the kind of person he was, say many here. He will be missed here at Citronelle High.
"But the death of Josh Creagh is more than just a loss to Citronelle. It's also a loss a few miles away in the small town of Mt. Vernon. This is where Josh grew up. This is where his family will learn to live without him."
"Josh doesn't meet any strangers and neither does his dad. If you're sitting in the same place he's in he'll strike up a conversation. That's just the way he was."
On this day after the terrible news, Josh's mother, Jacquelyn Creagh still bounces back and forth between present tense and past. She's showing remarkable strength right now. But she'll tell you, she's leaning on a lot of people who have shown how much they care.
"He was a very friendly person... just by the outpouring and support we received at the hospital, from the coaches, from the football players the cheerleader, the school, the calls we've gotten."
These were good days for 16 year old Josh Creagh. He'd just gotten his drivers license... he was chosen as a defensive tackle for the varsity squad. He had lots of friends, a sweetheart of two years, and he harbored dreams of playing college football. He was happy... something that mom wants everyone to remember, even as they grieve her loss.
"And I want you to know that Josh wouldn't want us to be crying... not any tears of sorrow. He would want us to be happy, he would want us to move on and go on with our dreams because that's just the way he was. He was a funny person. And he would find humor just to make you laugh. So I would tell the students and all of his friends just remember the funny things he'd say, the funny things he would do... the smile that he would give you."
In Mount Vernon, Darwin Singleton, Local 15 News.
