Freedom to feel

Memorial service for student welcomed community to grieve

• Flowers, pictures, and sports memorabilia of the late Clifton High School student Dylan Clay Atkins grace the stage at Clifton ISD’s Performing Arts Center for his memorial service on Saturday morning February 10, 2024.
• Freedom to feel
• Freedom to feel
• Freedom to feel
• Freedom to feel

A memorial service for a Clifton High School student welcomed the community to grieve last Saturday morning, February 10.

First Baptist Church of Clifton’s youth minister Stephen Payne encouraged the family and friends of the late Dylan Clay Atkins to feel their emotions at Clifton ISD’s Performing Arts Center.

“The great thing about our community is that we support each other,” he said. “Your support has meant the world to the family. They’ve expressed how they’ve been overwhelmed by the love you’ve shown them.”

The words of comfort and expectation came over a week after the surprising passing of the 16-year-old student.

As they entered the PAC’s atrium, visitors signed a guest book near a table with Atkins’ letters of intent and a football.

In solemn respect for their classmate, CHS students wore black and sat in the front section on stage right; Atkins’ family and pallbearers were seated in the center front section; parents, staff, and other guests filled the remaining sections.

Prior to the service organized by Lawson Funeral Home of Meridian, a slide show depicting Atkin’s life ran across the screen above the stage.

Below the stage sat several flower bouquets along with Atkin’s photographic portrait letter jacket, and medals for running.

Payne welcomed the guests to the service prior to reading Atkin’s obituary and reciting a prayer for healing from heartbreak.

Family friend Holly Rockett said she remembered Atkins as a “gentle soul” with “a pure heart and a great sensitivity to those around him.”

Rockett recounted first meeting him when he was 10 years old at her front door, asking to play with her child and immediately joining the neighborhood fun.

Rockett noted how his grandparents protected and supported him through his childhood.

“Dylan finally got to be a kid. When he came to live with y’all, he was able to be free and happy. He doted on y’all so much. Because of you, he learned to take pride in everything he did,” she said.

Rockett recounted Atkins’ work ethic, athletic ability, leadership skills, good humor, and large appetite for food. (Buffalo chicken wraps were his favorite.)

“His compassion knew no bounds. He constantly thought to uplift those around him,” she said. “Dylan wouldn’t want us to be sad. He would want us to spread his love and his light in the world.”

Rockett continued, “I ask you to please do something kind for someone else in honor of Dylan.”

Payne recounted memories of Atkins his grandparents shared with him, especially around family Christmas – a joyous time he missed during the first 10 years of his life.

“He had the ability to dream. He didn’t have that before,” Payne said. “When you come home and you have to worry if the electricity is turned on, it’s hard to think about the future.”

He added, “Moving to Clifton changed everything for him. He was loved. He was safe.”

Payne shared his own memories of Atkins, such as a fantasy football draft in which the young man reached the championship round against the odds.

“That’s Dylan’s story. The underdog. And he made it,” Payne said.

Payne then read prepared remarks by Tristan Hammon about his best friend whom he grew to know better starting in middle school.

Hammon recalled having deep conversations with Atkins, talking about their lives and futures – going to college, getting a job, and raising a family.

“It got to the point that I considered him my brother,” Hammon stated.

Hammon said he looked up to Atkins for his work ethic, responsibility, and respectfulness.

“Today, we’re not only saying goodbye to a brother, a friend, a classmate, a teammate, and a grandson, but we’re saying goodbye to the best person I’ve ever met. The pain will never go away for the rest of my life,” he said. “I just hope to make Dylan proud as he watches over us.”

Payne then provided Atkin’s family and friends with advice to prepare them for the grief process – through shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

“If you’re here today, and you’re sad, that’s a good thing,” he said. “The more you love, the more you will grieve.”

Payne encouraged the audience to feel the pain and re-direct it toward honoring Atkins’ memory in Christ’s spirit.

“If you’re a believer, God can help you,” he said. “This promise reminds us that death is not the end. For those who believe in Jesus, it’s merely a transition into our eternal home and into His presence.”

Near the end of the service, FBC’s music minsiter Steve James and Jonah Payne performed “Amazing Grace” together on stage.

After the service in the PAC’s atrium, Atkins’ grandmother Gayle Taylor thanked the guests for coming to the memorial.

“Dylan loved, and he loved hard,” she said. “Y’all honored him by being here today. He’s looking down smiling on us.”